I Know Places
by dizzy - in - the - izzy
Summary: A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.
1. All You Had To Do Was Stay

**Title:** I Know Places  
**Chapter: **All You Had To Do Was Stay  
**Author:** dizzy - in - the - izzy  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever, make money off the things I post on this site.  
**Summary: **A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.

* * *

_You were all I wanted... but not like this_

Hermione Granger sat at the table in the newly fixed Burrow, looking at the paper in her hands. The news coming out of the Muggle world was confused and speculative, but she knew the truth. The news in the Wizarding community wasn't much different, however, as no one directly involved in the take down of Voldemort had talked to any reporters. The Burrow was heavily warded, and under constant watch by members of the hugely expanded Order.

Hermione sighed.

She was getting ready to leave for Australia, to find her parents. She had waited for the funerals to be over, for obligations to pass. She wouldn't let herself miss anything. She stood by her best friends, held their hands in silent support, and cried softly. The transition into a warm house had been difficult, and her nerves were constantly on edge. She could hardly sleep, which is how she found herself in the kitchen at 3am.

She heard footsteps on the stairs and looked up as Ginny Weasley walked into the kitchen. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and her eyes were somewhat haunted. She smiled as she poured herself a cup of tea, before sitting next to her older friend. Neither said anything as Hermione took Ginny's hand, squeezing it. Ginny let her head fall to her friends shoulder, and let out a deep sigh.

Hermione continued to read the Muggle paper she'd had an owl deliver. Her eyes were scanning the news out of Australia, apprehensive of any unrest there. She felt herself relax as the news was mostly positive, with some political unrest. She'd expected that.

Ginny shifted next to her and she turned to look. The redhead had her eyes closed and mouth in a tight line. She resemblance to her other was uncanny.

"Are you okay?"

The question hung in the air, piercing the silence they had enveloped themselves in. Ginny opened her eyes carefully, staring off into the distance. She crinkled her nose in thought.

"I suppose," she finally answered, taking a sip of her tea. Hermione took the answer without question and turned back to the paper. If something was bothering Ginny, she would eventually talk. Hermione had, over the years, learned how to talk her closest female friend. It was much like talking to one of her other friends, but she shook that thought.

"I could hear him again."

Hermione felt herself flinch at that.

"Harry?"

"Yes."

Hermione turned now, forcing Ginny to sit up straight. They shared a sad smile as Ginny took another sip of her tea. Hermione reached over and pushed a strand of hair behind Ginny's ear.

"I thought he'd placed silencing charms on his room," Hermione mumbled, and Ginny shrugged.

"You didn't hear him then?"

"Well, I have been down here most of the night," Hermione answered easily, and Ginny glared.

"Well, he's not getting any better," she snapped, and Hermione hung her head.

Shortly after the last funeral, Harry Potter had disappeared to his designated room. While Hermione and Ron had found the isolation difficult, and eventually moved into the same room, Harry had closed everyone off. His eyes were beginning to look sunken and his face was taut. The war had aged them all, but the burden Harry had carried for years had finally caught up to him. Years of fear, anger, and pain had worn him down, and Hermione could see the empty feeling in his eyes clear as day. At one point or another, everyone had tried to reach him, but he'd only pushed away farther. Mrs. Weasley had seemed to reach him the most, along with George, but as soon as they left, he disappeared again.

"I know," Hermione whispered finally, and Ginny sighed.

"I don't know what to do," Ginny said, her voice cracking. Hermione reached forward and took her friend in her arms, holding her tight. Ginny had stood by Harry at each funeral, pulling him to where he needed to go. She'd silently got him ready, keeping him anchored to her side by holding his hand. There had been a moment where Hermione was almost certain she'd seen a bit of Harry from their 6th year, his eyes lingering on Ginny's hair one night. But then something had flickered across his face, and the moment was gone.

Hermione had thought that, if anyone could help Harry, it would've been Ginny.

She hated that she was wrong.

(…)

Ronald Weasley watched as his girlfriend went over her checklist. The journey to Australia wasn't as easy as he'd thought, but he wasn't backing out now. Originally, Hermione had said she was going to go alone, but Ron was having none of that. He'd fought her, and eventually she'd conceded. Now, he was in on her plans, and he was making sure she stayed calm. She was scared, though she refused to admit it. Finding her parents was going to be difficult, and Ron knew the reunion was going to be emotional. He'd mentally prepared himself for it all, and now he just had to make sure he made it there in one piece.

"Ron, have you seen the paper? I just had it."

Ron reached over to where Hermione had thrown the paper down on the bed. It had been covered by one of her shirts that she was throwing around the room. He held it up carefully and she seemed to scold herself as she walked over to take it from him. She gave him a small kiss.

"Thank you," she said as she opened it again, reading over something. He watched as her brow furrowed in concentration, and then she looked at him.

"Did you hear Harry last night?"

The question came at him suddenly, and he looked at her in confusion. She shook her head, clearing a spot to sit next to him.

"Ginny said she heard him again," she began, running a hand through her hair.

"He has silencing charms on his room, and I sleep like a rock. You're asking the wrong person," he tried to tease, but she glared at him.

"Should we really leave when he's obviously not okay yet?" Hermione asked, her eyes swimming. Ron reached over quickly and pulled her to him, cradling her head against his chest. She let out a long sigh and he felt tears on his arm.

"Hermione, he's pushed us all away. I don't think trying to shove our way into his space is going to help. Mum has it covered, really. Her and Ginny are keeping a close eye on him," he said, kissing her forehead. She sniffed.

"I know that, it's just… he's not getting any better, and I know he's going to need time, but why isn't he letting us in? I would think he'd let us try to help, at least," she complained, and Ron fought himself not to roll his eyes.

"Mione, you know Harry. You've seen the look in his eyes. I know you understand why he's pushing us away. We know how he gets. And it's going to take a lot to pull him out of this, but you've heard him. He wants you to go find your parents, said so himself."

Hermione nodded, rubbing her eyes on the back of her hand.

"I know, it's just… I feel so bad for leaving him," she mumbled the last part, and Ron kissed her hair again.

"We're going to be back, and he has people here to take care of him. We can send him an owl while we're there," Ron said, hoping to lift her spirits. She seemed to take it, and leaned against him again.

(…)

Harry Potter walked down the stairs in a daze. His nights were filled with nightmares again, images of those lost flashing before his eyes in rapid succession. And, like most nights, those lost spoke to him, yelled at him, blamed him. He woke up in a sweat, crying out as his body shook. And after a quick shower, he would make himself presentable and face Mrs. Weasley.

She greeted him as he walked into the kitchen, placing a soft kiss on the side of his head as she passed. She did this every morning, and he wasn't sure how it started, but he knew it was her silent way of saying she loved him. Ginny smiled at him as he sat down next to her and he took a drink of the tea she'd set in front of him as she filled his plate with food he'd inevitably not eat.

"Morning," she said softly as she took his hand and squeezed it. He tried to smile at her, but his face defied him, so he nodded instead. He was glad to see no hurt flash across her face. He couldn't handle hurting anyone else.

"Morning," he responded as he picked at his eggs. She watched him for a moment before going back to her own plate. Molly sat down across from them and handed Ginny some mail.

"Good morning dear," Molly said, and Harry looked up to acknowledge her. She gave him a warm smile and looked pointedly at his plate. He felt guilty for his lack of appetite, so he gingerly took a bite of his eggs. It placated her for the time being, and soothed some of his guilt.

"Mum, when are Hermione and Ron leaving?" Ginny asked, and Molly looked at her youngest child.

"Sometime today, I suppose. Your father is coming home to wish them off, but other than that, they're leaving quietly. Hermione is going to check the wards later to make sure they'll be safe to leave. They're taking the portkey to somewhere in South Africa and then appariting the rest of the way."

Harry listened to this with mild interest, though he was pleased to hear that Hermione was finally going to find her parents. He'd had to convince her that he would be okay staying behind, to take Ron and go. He knew they needed some time together, time to be alone, and he didn't want to intrude on that. He zoned out as Molly and Ginny continued their conversation, his eyes gazing out the back window. The sun was high in the sky already, and it looked to be a warm day.

"I think I'll go flying today," he said suddenly, though he knew both women were listening. Ginny smiled at him.

"Do you want company?" she asked, though she didn't look too hopeful. Harry shrugged. Ginny touched his hand, silently telling him she'd ask again before he left for a definite answer. He wished he had one.

"That sounds like a brilliant idea Harry, just be mindful of the wards. Don't stray too far," Molly said, and Harry felt a tug in his stomach at how motherly she sounded. He nodded at her words, taking one last bite of his food before pushing the plate away. He mumbled goodbye as he left the room, heading upstairs quickly. As he was passing Ron's room he stopped, debating on going inside or not. But before he could move, the door opened and Hermione smiled at him.

"Harry, come here," she said, reaching out for him. He walked to her and she hugged him gently, mindful of his reaction. He had learned long ago that flinching when given a hug was a reaction people didn't like. So he wrapped an arm around her and let her hold him close. Ron smiled at him over her head, gesturing to the mess of a room he was in. Harry felt some amusement at that.

"Almost ready to go?" he asked, and Hermione pulled back to look at him. She looked apprehensive.

"Just about, yes. Ronald hasn't finished packing yet," she said, throwing a glare over her shoulder. Ron grinned.

"It wouldn't be a trip if I didn't procrastinated," he said, and Harry let out a dry laugh.

"Well, I'm going to go flying for a bit, it looks nice outside, but call me before you leave, alright?" Harry said, and Ron nodded.

"Don't want any company?" he asked, and Harry almost smiled at the gesture. The Weasley's always loved a good fly.

"No, thank you." he replied, and Ron took it. Hermione looked at him carefully, before giving him one last pat on the arm and moving towards Ron.

"Okay then, have a good fly, Ron can't join you anyway, he has to finish packing," Hermione stared at Ron, who offered her a sheepish smile.

"Right," Harry said, moving away from the door. He thought he saw Hermione shoot Ron a worried look as he moved away.

(. . .)

Ginny wrapped her arms around her brother's torso, hiding her face in his shirt. He chuckled at her, wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders.

"Going to miss me, Gin?" he teased, and she pinched his back. He yelped and Hermione smiled.

"Of course she is Ron," she chided, and Ginny looked up at her brother.

"Yeah, of course I am, Ron," she teased him back, and he rolled his eyes.

"Have you seen Harry?" Hermione asked, and Ginny looked at her.

"You sent him a message, right?" Ron said, and Hermione nodded.

"And you sent it right?" Ginny asked, and Hermione glared at her.

"I know how to send a Patronus," she snapped, and Ginny just chuckled.

Molly walked into the room then, looking at the three people in front of her. She looked out over Hermione's shoulder, a smile lighting up her face. Everyone looked as Harry quickly walked up the back steps, his hair more of a mess than usual. Ginny let go of her brother and pulled Harry into the mix. She quickly reached up and patted his hair down, and he rolled his eyes.

"There you are! I was beginning to worry," Hermione said, reaching over and wrapping her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, trying his best to smile at Ron. His best friend wrapped an arm around Harry, and an arm around Ginny, and they stood together in the kitchen. Molly watched them as Harry took one arm off Hermione and wrapped it around Ron's shoulders. Ginny smiled at her mother.

"Okay, alright now, enough's enough, time to get going dears!"

The four let go of each other, but Ginny stayed close to Harry. Mr. Weasley had come by earlier, helping Hermione put the final touches on the portkey. Ron watched as Hermione checked over her bag one more time.

"Sure you have everything there?" Ginny said, and Harry shook his head as Hermione huffed.

"I'm sure of it," she replied, putting the beaded bag Harry was all too familiar with around her neck and hiding it down her shirt.

"Well then, we're all ready to go!" Ron said, grabbing Hermione's hand. He pulled her towards the back door, away from anything else she could possibly think she needed to bring. Ginny pulled on Harry's hand gently, and he followed her outside. Hermione had a book in her hand, which Harry knew was the portkey. He stopped walking next to Ginny, and she smiled at him warmly. He leaned against her, and she pushed back.

"Well, we're off then," Hermione said, and Molly smiled at them sadly.

"You'll owl me when you can, right?" she asked, and Ron nodded at his mum. She kissed him quickly on the cheek, and got Hermione as well. Harry was surprised to see she wasn't crying.

"We will mum, we will. Love you," Ron said, making a face at Ginny. She made one back, and Hermione rolled her eyes at them both.

"Okay then," Hermione said, holding the book up to Ron. He took hold of the other end, and they disappeared in a twirl as Hermione mumbled the spell. Ginny smiled as they disappeared, looking up at Harry. He didn't look any different.

"Are you hungry?" she asked quietly, and he looked down at her. His eyes were unfocused for a second, and she could have sworn she saw a glimpse of the young man she'd spent hours with hidden around the lake. But then his eyes focused and she saw the man standing in front of her.

"No, not really," he replied, his eyes not leaving hers. She felt a shiver run up her back despite the hot air around her.

"I'm going to have lunch, you can join me if you'd like," she said, stretching up to give him a soft kiss on the cheek. His eyes lit up slightly.

"Thanks," he replied, and his eyes darkened again. Ginny left his side, moving into the house after her mother. Molly gave her daughter a brief hug as she moved towards the sitting room.

Ginny poured herself a cup of water and warmed it quickly. She saw Harry streak across the sky towards the orchard and smiled. If there was anything in the world that could lift his spirits, it was a broom and open skies.

"Ginny, dear!"

Ginny perked up at the sound of her father's voice, turning around to smile at him.

"When did you get here?" she asked, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around him. He squeezed her tightly.

"A couple seconds ago, I need to talk to Harry actually," he said, and Ginny nodded.

"Well, he's outside, I'll go grab him," she said, and he nodded.

"I'll grab a cup of tea then."

Ginny walked out the back door, holding her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun. She looked along the horizon, seeking out Harry's silhouette. When she didn't see him in the immediate area, she walked over to the broom shed and grabbed one. Taking to the sky, she flew off towards the orchard.

She leaned forward on the broom and headed into the trees, maneuvering them from memory.

"Harry?" she slowed up as she called out his name, waiting for a response. When she didn't hear a response, she looked around.

The orchard felt strange, like something was off. Turning around, she headed back towards the clearing. Her stomach began to feel tight and she took a couple deep breaths. She stopped as she reached the pond, her eyes scanning the water. She was about to turn around when she spotted his broom in the grass by the shore. She quickly made her way to the broom, jumping off before she'd reached a full stop.

"Harry?" she called again, panic rising in her chest. She picked up his broom, holding it tenderly in her hands. She placed it back in the grass and frantically searched the surrounding area. She felt bile rise in her throat as she didn't find anything else, even footprints. On impulse, she turned on the spot.

"Dad!" she yelled as she appeared in the kitchen, her hands beginning to shake.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"He's gone," she croaked, holding onto his arm as her eyes began to swim.

"Who- Harry? Harry's gone?"

"His broom is by the pond and there's nothing else! No footprints, no clothes, no sign of anything, he's just gone dad!"

Arthur pulled Ginny into his arms as Molly looked around the room in a panic.

"I'll get Minerva," she said, disappearing back into the sitting room to the fire.

"Dad-" Ginny croaked, and Arthur squeezed his daughters shoulders.

"It's okay, pumpkin, we'll find him," he said, punctuating his words with a kiss to the top of her head.

* * *

**A/N: **So, this if my first HP story. I'd lost my writing groove awhile back, but this story came to me with such ease that I've written chapters upon chapters of it. It feels great. The first couple chapters are set up, but it quickly moves into the substance of the plot. All typos are my fault, I've been staring at each chapter for so long I begin to miss the errors.

Also, with this story, I'm going to be exploring the aspects of PTSD and guilt. I feel a lot of people gloss over this subject when writing Post-DH stories, and it's important to me. There's nothing too bad until some later chapters, and I will warn at the beginning of the chapter if there's something more heavy.

Otherwise, enjoy the Harry/Ginny to come!

Reviews are always appreciated

-Izzy


	2. Safe House

**Title:** I Know Places  
**Chapter: **Safe House  
**Author:** dizzy - in - the - izzy  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever, make money off the things I post on this site.  
**Summary: **A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.

* * *

_Follow me, help me out. I have no guarantees, but the shade of a safe house._

_Ginny walked carefully through the crowd gathered under the large tent. She was trying her hardest to be discreet as she slipped past people she knew, hoping to avoid any more awkward conversations. She searched the area for her brother and Hermione, and was not surprised to find them sitting at a table, an apparent blank chair between them. _

_Making her way to the table, she carefully glared at the empty spot. Hermione nodded, reaching over and nudging the person who sat there. She stood and walked around the table to sit next to Ron, letting Ginny take her spot._

_She narrowed her eyes at where she knew he was, and she could hear him sigh. She didn't jump as she felt his hand on her knee. _

"_You're not fooling anyone, you know," she said, trying to make it look like she was talking to Ron. Her brother glanced in her direction only briefly._

"_Everyone knows you're here, they're just all decent enough to know to leave you alone right now. Although I'm sure there are a few reporters who would love to march over here and tear that cloak off your head and talk your ear off… if it weren't for Mum's ability to strike fear into the greatest of men."_

_She heard him chuckle at that, and she smiled to herself. His hand fell back on her knee again, though it was still disillusioned by the cloak. Carefully, she placed her hand on top of his, the shimmery fabric of the cloak cool under her warm hand._

_Ginny saw Hermione's eyes flicker towards her, and Ginny shook her head. She felt the cloak move under her hand, knowing that Harry was looking at Hermione as well. The bushy haired girl held her tongue though, her focus shifting back to her boyfriend._

"_Let's go mingle Ron, Ginny's got this," she said, and Ron shrugged. _

"_See 'ya around, I suppose," he said with a smirk on his face, and Ginny snorted. As they walked away, Ginny turned her eyes back to Harry._

"_Are you going to come out from under there or not?" she asked, and she heard him huff. He didn't speak though. _

_His silence was beginning to unnerve her, so she grabbed the hand that was on her knee and pulled him out of his chair. He didn't protest as she pulled him out of the tent and away from the crowds. _

_The ground of Hogwarts was mostly empty. Some people had left the tent to sit in the sun and talk, while some younger students had found a quaffle and were tossing it around. Ginny ignored them as she walked past, her hand holding something their eyes couldn't see. _

_She finally found the tree she was looking for, their tree, and pulled him down in front of it. He hit the ground with a thud and a gasp. She straightened her dress and sat back against the tree, set on ignoring him until he decided to take off the cloak. _

_He moved next to her, and soon she felt his hand on hers. She continued to stare out at the lake, her eyes searching the other shore. She could faintly make out the ripple in the water that meant the squid was somewhere near the surface. _

_Rustling next to her adverted her gaze from the lake, and she almost smiled as Harry placed the cloak on the grass next to him. He kept his eyes focused on the grass, his face blank. _

_This behavior is what they'd all feared._

"_Harry, will you look at me please," she said, but his head didn't move. She fought back a frustrated sigh._

"_Look, I know what you're feeling right now," she began, but his curt laugh cut her off._

"_No, you don't," he replied, his voice low. She felt a shiver run up her back and she fought back the urge to yell at him. Yelling wouldn't work right now. _

"_Fine, I don't. But I can imagine what you're feeling. I can see it in your shoulders. I can see it in your face. You're holding onto this guilt, and it's eating you alive."_

_His chin fell to his chest, though because of her words or from exhaustion, she was unsure. She reached up and placed her hand on the back of his neck, where his hairline ended. She applied gentle pressure, moving her fingers in circular motions. She felt a shudder pass through him, and his shoulders slumped as she kept up her ministrations._

"_We… I-"she stopped, her throat suddenly tight. _

"_I care, so much," she felt her throat close and she looked back across the lake. His arm slinked around her waist, and this time she did jump as he turned his body into hers and buried his face in her neck. He wasn't crying. She didn't expect him to. She was, however, surprised by how tightly he held her waist, how much emotion she felt rolling off him in waves. _

"_I'm sorry," he croaked, just loudly enough for her to hear. She slipped her hand back up into his hair, rubbing his scalp. Her other hand moved slowly up and down his back. _

"_I know."_

(~~~)

Minerva McGonagall stood in the kitchen of The Burrow, her mind reeling. Molly was recounting the day so far to an audience of important Order members. Ginny was sitting on her older brother Bill's lap, her face pale and eyes wide. Arthur sat next to his wife, holding her hand as she made sure nothing was overlooked. Kingsley Shacklebolt sat at the head of the table, one hand on his face. He could feel his stress level rising as Molly reached the point of Ginny's sudden apparition into the kitchen.

"Bill," he spoke as Molly finished, "take your sister and look over where he disappeared."

Bill nodded, carefully lifting his baby sister out of his lap. She mechanically followed him towards the back door, her hand gripping his shirt tightly. As the door shut behind them, Arthur cleared his throat.

"What are we going to do?" he asked, his voice strained. Kingsley sighed.

"I am not sure. I hope Bill will discover something," the Minister sighed, and Molly ran her hands over her face.

"What is there to find?" she questioned, and McGonagall stepped forward.

"Magical signatures, trace elements of curses, possible breaches in the wards. Bill is a very talented young man, I have complete confidence in him," Minerva said, her voice unwavering. Molly smiled at the Headmistress, though her stomach constricted.

"If I may ask, have you contacted the other two?"

Even though McGonagall didn't say their names, everyone knew who she meant. Arthur's face fell as he remembered his youngest son and girlfriend.

"No, and we shouldn't."

Molly's response shocked the room, and everyone turned to look at her. Fleur, who had been wrestling to keep a young baby Victoire in her lap, looked appalled.

"But they are 'is best friends, are they not?" she asked, her nostrils flaring slightly. "They 'ave every right to know."

Molly looked at everyone before she spoke.

"I understand that, I do. But Hermione has to find her parents. Those three spent the past year doing… doing Merlin knows what in the wilderness, running for their lives, fighting all kinds of evil and Hermione did all of that without her parents!" Molly's voice rose as she continued, "and if you think I'm going to contact her and my son to tell them that Harry has disappeared, when it took all sorts of convincing to get them to leave, _then you are wrong_."

Everyone sat still in the room, except for baby Victoire. Arthur looked at his wife, carefully examining the lines on her face.

"But Molly-"

"Do not 'Molly dear' me right now, Arthur. I know they are his best friends, I know they would and have followed him to the ends of the Earth, but Hermione needs to do something for herself. They've been doing all they can to stand by Harry over the years, and it sounds terrible _I know_, but Hermione needs this, and so does Ron. Please, understand what I am trying to say," she finished, looking at the table. Her shoulders shook for a moment, and Arthur reached over to wrap his arm around her. He looked at the other occupants in the room, and they all seemed to concede.

"Alright," McGonagall said, "but if we find we absolutely have to, we will contact them. They know him best."

"There's someone else who knows him very well, actually," Molly said quietly, drawing full attention to herself again.

(~~~~)

Bill wrapped his arm around Ginny as they walked to the spot next to the pond. Ginny had stopped shaking an hour ago, as people had started to arrive and she'd told her story one last time. Now she stood still next to him, her face a stone.

"You can sit down if you'd like, it'll take me a minute," he said, and she nodded at him. She grabbed Harry's broom and sat down almost in the water. Bill took one last look at her before he turned to where Harry had disappeared.

The grass was in disarray. If it was because of Harry's disappearance, or the people running around the area, Bill was unsure. He pulled out his wand and looked over at Ginny one more time before getting to work.

He was mostly silent as he tested the area. Ginny could barely pick up the incantations he was muttering, but she watched as an array of colors shot out of his wand. A wall of runes appeared around him, and Ginny wished she could understand them like he did…

Bill suddenly stood up straight, pointing his wand into the air. The color of his spells changed and she could almost feel the reverberation of the shields being struck. Another wall of runes appeared around him, and he read them silently.

"That doesn't make sense," Bill finally spoke, and Ginny stood.

"What is it?" she asked, and he looked at her carefully. He motioned for her to come over to him. She moved up the bank to his side, looking at the wall of runes in front of her.

"See this," he pointed to a darker rune, "that's a very recent spell. Now, we can easily rule out any of the spells recently used by people coming to the Burrow," he flicked his wand, "and then we're left with unaccounted spells. Now this," he pulled a rune forward, "is one of the most recent unaccounted spells used on the wards."

Ginny looked at the rune, wishing she'd taken the class.

"What does it mean?" she asked, and Bill nodded.

"It actually has no definite meaning, but it does stand as a place holder for apparition."

Ginny looked up at him. "So you're saying that Harry apparated out of here?"

"That's what it looks like at least," Bill said, looking at the runes again. With a flick of his wand, the images disappeared. Ginny looked up at him.

"That doesn't help us much," she said, and he nodded.

"I know, but it does kind of tell us that he went willingly…" he trailed off as Ginny's face fell.

"That isn't comforting."

She turned on her heel and moved towards the house, Bill following behind her. As they walked up to the backdoor, Bill reached to Ginny and pulled her into a tight hug. She locked her arms around him tightly.

"I'm sorry Gin," he said, and he could barely make out her muffled reply.

The backdoor of the house opened and Fleur walked out. Molly's voice could be heard from inside, and Ginny turned towards the noise.

"What is she yelling about?" Ginny asked, and Fleur shook her head.

"Mc'onagall and Molly are exchanging words," she said simply as she walked to her husband, reaching over and touching Ginny's face.

"About?" Bill asked, and Fleur let out a sigh.

"Molly does not want to tell 'ermione and Ron," Fleur replied and Ginny looked up at Bill. His eyes looked troubled.

Ginny broke away from them and walked up the back steps. As she walked through the door, the room became quiet. Her eyes moved between her mother and father, who were sitting near each other, hands posed in an argument. She could feel the tension in the room.

"What's going on?" she asked, straightening herself as she prepared for the worst.

"Your mother and I," Arthur spoke over Molly, "were thinking of ways to figure out where Harry could have gone, and we were wondering if you wanted to help look through Harry's room."

Ginny knew that wasn't what they had been talking about, but she took it. Nodding her head, she walked over to her parents.

"I suppose," she said, and Molly nodded. She looked over, and for the first time, Ginny noticed Charlie standing off to the side, talking to McGonagall.

"I'll go with you. Bill will be joining us shortly," Charlie said, pulling Ginny against his side in a weird hug.

"What are we hoping to find?" Ginny asked, looking at Charlie closely. His face was as pale as ever, and she could see each scar there. She hadn't seen him without a shirt recently, but she could almost guarantee there would be more scars across his torso.

"Anything…" he trailed off as he headed up the stairs, looking over his shoulder to make sure Ginny was following. She smiled at him as she bounded up the steps after him. They went quietly, from memory, until they reached Harry's room. They looked at each other briefly, sharing a look of uncertainty.

As Charlie touched the doorknob, he was suddenly thrown back with a loud _bang!_ Ginny jumped in surprise before she ran over to her brother.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she crouched down next to him, and he shook himself.

"What was that?" he yelled, looking at the door with angry eyes. Bill came bounding up the stairs them, staring at the scene in front of him.

"You tell me! What happened?" Bill asked, and Ginny gestured towards the door.

"Charlie touched the doorknob and it threw him across the landing."

"Was there a light or any distinguishing properties?" Bill asked, instantly in his zone. Ginny blinked rapidly as she tried to remember, and Charlie squinted.

"It was just very loud… kind of a gray light," Charlie said, gesturing ahead of him. Bill looked between his siblings and the door, his eyes narrowing. He gestured for them to move aside. Ginny helped Charlie to his feet and they moved back towards the stairs, waving away the curious glances from the landing below.

Bill went to work, his wand moving swiftly. Ginny watched as more runes appeared, and she crossed her arms in wait. Charlie was rubbing his neck as Bill stepped back from the door.

"I don't know if any of us are going to be able to get in there," Bill said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Bill… you're a curse breaker…" Charlie trailed off, and Bill rolled his eyes.

"I know that, but I don't want to blow the landing apart."

"Why would that happen?" Ginny asked, somewhat sarcastically. Bill sighed.

"There's a lot going on with this door," he said, gesturing to the runes. Ginny walked over to him, observing the wall of characters in front of her.

"I wouldn't know," she mumbled, and Bill nudged her.

"Well, there's a bunch of defensive spells wrapped up here, but they're under a layer of some strange charms in here," he gestured to some grey runes, "but there's some magical signature here that doesn't make sense."

Ginny reached forward towards the runes, her eyes drawn to the redish color there. Her fingers slipped through the illusion and right towards the door. Bill went to stop her but pulled up short as he watched her fingers touched the door.

The landing was silent as Ginny's hand flattened against the wood. She looked around, her eyes locking with Charlie's.

"Try the knob," he suggested, and she let her hand grasp the handle. When she didn't fly backwards, Bill took a step back from her. She turned the handle and the door opened. She pushed it wide and looked inside.

"What do you see?" Bill asked, and Ginny looked at him.

"I see his room? Don't you see it?" she asked, and her brothers shook their heads.

"It looks empty," Charlie said, and Ginny turned her head back to Harry's room.

The room was immaculate. His bed was made up, and some clothes were folded on the end. On the one table in the room sat a couple books, maps, and an empty water glass. His school trunk was next to the table, and Ginny was certain it was empty. She walked over to the bed, her eyes sweeping over the area. She looked at the nightstand and picked up what looked like a map.

She unfolded it carefully, her eyebrows furrowing. She couldn't identify the immediate area, so she turned and laid the map out on the bed. Orientating it, she realized it was a map of the United States of America. Eyes squinted; she scanned the map for any markings or stress spots. The left part of the map was faded more than the right, so she folded up the map to only show the western states.

"Gin, are you okay?" Charlie called, and she looked towards the door.

"Yes, you can't see me?"

"Well, not really… it's sort of hazy," Bill said, and Ginny walked back towards the door. She felt the air change around her as she walked through the doorway. She saw the looks on her brother's faces, and her stomach twisted.

"What?" she asked, and Bill motioned for her to step backwards. The air changed again and she stood still. Bill held up his wand and began mumbling to himself. Spells hit the doorway and Ginny moved back into the room.

She picked up the map again, looking it over. She'd never really looked at a muggle map, and she was slightly annoyed that it didn't move. She pulled out her wand.

"_Aparecium_," she said, not knowing what to expect.

Writing appeared on some of the states, and she immediately recognized Harry's scrawl. Clumsy circles littered the paper, ranging from the state of Washington to Nebraska. Ginny reopened the map and saw that there were a few dots on the other coast, centered on a dot labeled 'New York City'.

There was a loud bang from the other side of the door and she startled, her hands hurriedly folding the map back to its original size. She shoved it in her pants pocket before she moved to the doorway.

"I'm coming out, don't do anything stupid," she called, and she heard Charlie laugh. She could already see Bill sitting on the ground, staring up at the door in what looked like frustration.

"When we find your bloody boyfriend, I'm going to have a good chat with him," Bill said, and Ginny chuckled.

"Did you find anything?" Charlie asked, and Ginny paused. She could feel the weight of the map in her back pocket, but she could also feel the burden of knowledge.

"Well, he had a couple muggle papers in there. What's the wizard community like in New York City?"

* * *

**A/N: **First, I'd like to say thanks to those who followed/favorited, it means a lot, and a bigger thanks to those who reviewed! That means the most to someone like me, who was hesitant about publishing this in the first place. My first full length Harry Potter fic and all!

Second, it looks like I'll update this about every Tuesday. I have nine chapters of this typed at the moment, and it looks like there's no stopping me from finishing this within the next couple days if my work schedule allows. **But, yes, expect weekly updates on Tuesday unless otherwise noted. **

Lastly, each chapter title is the name of a song, as is the name of the story as a whole, and while some of the songs don't match the feeling of the chapter, some do, so don't be hesitant to look 'em up!

If you find any errors, I blame tired eyes. This chapter's been typed out for nearly three weeks!

Reviews are always appreciated! Makes me happy!

-Izzy


	3. Wonderland & Oceans

**Title:** I Know Places  
**Chapter: **Wonderland / Oceans  
**Author:** dizzy - in - the - izzy  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever, made money off the things I post on this site.  
**Summary: **A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.

**READ: 1) **I merged chapters 3 &amp; 4 into one, as I want to move the story along just a tad. I've written up to chapter 11 at this point, and I'm anxious for you all to get to the good part. **2)** I tried and read and asked and so many people came up with different lengths for how long Harry &amp; Ginny actually dated at Hogwarts, so I finally came up with the timeline of 6-7 weeks. That's what I'm going with here. Also, _all italics_ indicate either a "memory" or a letter.

* * *

_Didn't it all seem new and exciting, I felt your arms twisting around me.  
It's all fun and games 'til somebody loses their mind._

"_Harry, where are we going?"_

_Ginny ran behind her boyfriend, laughing as he pulled her across the green grounds of Hogwarts towards the lake. He had shown up in the library, grabbed her by the hand, and swept her down the hallways before she had a chance to protest. His goofy grin had broken her resolve to be angry. _

"_Just come on," he said, and she shook her head as they raced along the shore. He started to slow down and she kept pace, falling in stride next to him as he slowed to a walk. His eyes searched the trees that scattered around the edge of the lake, until he found what he was looking for. _

"_Ah-ha," he said, pulling her again. They walked up the bank to a tree with low branches. She ducked with him as they walked towards the trunk, somewhat hidden from the other students who were enjoying the sunny day. She came up short as Harry stopped in front of her, turning to smile at her. _

"_Okay, what are you doing?" she asked, suddenly suspicious. Harry sighed, conjuring a blanket on which to sit. He pulled her down into his lap, against his chest, placing a kiss on the side of her head. Despite most of her mind and body telling her to just go with it, she remained apprehensive. _

"_Can't a lad just want to sit with his girlfriend on a sunny afternoon?" he asked, moving her hair aside to kiss her neck. She pursed her lips, holding back a sigh. _

"_Yes, but I'd like to know why I was forcefully taken from the library, where all of my school work is still sitting!" she retorted, and he chuckled. His breath fanned across her neck and she shivered. _

"_Oh, don't worry about that, Hermione's got it for you," he said against her skin, and she sighed heavily. _

"_Harry, I want to know!" she protested, and he laughed. _

"_Okay, fine! If you must know… well… it's been a month," he mumbled the last part into her hair, and her brow came together. She counted back the days in her mind, and a smile broke out upon her face. _

"_It's been a month," she repeated, and he hummed. She wiggled in his arms, and he let her turn in his lap. He looked slightly embarrassed, and it amused her. She positioned herself so she was straddling his lap, her arms moving around his shoulders. _

"_I'm sorry I dragged you away from your studies like that," he mumbled, and she chuckled. Gently, she twisted her fingers into his hair and pulled his lips to hers. She felt like melting as his arms twisted around her, pulling her against his chest. They remained like that for several moments before she pulled back, resting her forehead against his. _

"_Don't be, this is exactly the kind of study break I needed," she said, bending up to place a soft kiss on his forehead. When she met his eyes again, the emotion in his eyes made her heart skip a couple beats. _

_Suddenly feeling very giddy, she pulled Harry close and rolled them down to the ground. She kept her arms around his shoulders, positioning him against her side. His head came to rest on her shoulder, and she could feel him relax against her body. He turned his face up to look at her, and she took the opportunity to kiss him again. _

"_It's been a month," Ginny mumbled as they broke apart, and Harry smiled widely. _

"_I can't believe I remembered and you forgot," he joked, and she pinched his back. He mocked hurt before moving his nose into her neck, placing a kiss on her collarbone. She giggled as his hands gripped her sides. _

"_That's not fair, I have a lot on my plate," she said, and he propped himself up on his elbow to look down at her. She momentarily felt self conscious under his gaze, as his eyes searched her face, before they met hers. He reached up with his free hand and cupped her face, running his thumb across her cheek. He bowed his head and kissed her softer than before. _

"_Actually, Hermione kind of reminded me," he whispered against her lips, and she looked up at him carefully. _

_Suddenly, she laughed._

_She brought her hand up to his face, laughter bubbling up from her stomach. It caused Harry to laugh, and he rolled onto his back next to her, clutching his stomach as they laughed together. _

_As their laughter began to subside, Harry reached over and took Ginny's hand. He squeezed it, and they looked at each other. Eyes full of tears from their aching sides, they shared a smile._

"_I'll thank her later," she mumbled, and he nodded. _

"_Me too," he said as he pulled her to his chest, kissing her hair. _

(...)

"New York?"

Ginny nodded at Bill, who rubbed the back of his neck. He looked at Charlie, and they shared a confused look.

"Why New York?" Charlie asked, and Ginny fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"There was one of those Muggle newspapers that Hermione has having delivered in there, open to a page about some stuff happening in the States. Mentioned New York, now back to my original question," she urged, and Bill sighed.

"Well, I mean… as far as the States go, the two biggest magical communities in the entire country are in New York City and Los Angeles, which is on the opposite coast. New York is also where the international ports are from England, while Los Angeles is the port for most of Asia… but other than that, I'm not sure what the community itself is like. Did the paper mention anything unexplained?" Bill asked, and Ginny shook herself from thought.

"Nothing unexplained, just some typical news," she stumbled over her words, but Bill and Charlie didn't seem to notice. Their attention was back to the door, and Bill was biting his bottom lip. Ginny knew that look well. He was going to take on a challenge.

"But anything useful?" Charlie asked, shaking his head at Bill. Ginny looked at the door again.

"Most of his clothes are gone, along with a couple books, and his trunk is empty. Actually, all of his important belongings are gone. There was no note or anything, if you were going to ask," she finished, her hand slipping into her back pocket to hold the map. Charlie and Bill looked at each other before their attention turned away from Ginny and to the door again.

"I'm going to go talk to mum," she said, and her brothers waved her off. She rolled her eyes as she raced down the stairs, coming up short as she reached the kitchen. Arthur was standing there, looking at her expectantly. She bit her lip.

"What was all of that?" he waved his hand around, and Ginny let out a sigh.

She gathered everyone in the kitchen to explain the charms on the door, and the emptiness of the room. She omitted the map again, unsure of what to make of it. Kingsley excused himself to see if he could help Bill and Charlie. Molly let out a heavy sigh, and McGonagall pursed her lips.

"You are saying it appears he deliberately disappeared?"

The question hung in the air as everyone in the room turned to look at Ginny. She could feel the map in her pocket.

"I suppose it does."

(...)

George Weasley stepped out of the fireplace into the living room of his family home. He'd been with some friends at the shop, attempting to organize the business, when an owl from Ginny had arrived.

Harry was gone. George had been one of the few people to actually get more than a few disconnected sentences out of the young man, and Ginny knew that.

"George, dear!" Molly ran at her son, wrapping him up in the fiercest of hugs yet. He returned the hug, meeting his father's eyes over the top of her head.

"Hello mum, nice to see you as well," he said, and Molly glared at him.

"You didn't say you were stopping in?" she said, suddenly pulling him towards the kitchen. He shrugged.

"I received an interesting owl from Ginny, she says Harry's gone missing?"

Molly and Arthur looked at each other for a moment, and then turned to look at their only daughter. Ginny stuck out her chin, daring them to argue with her decision.

"Yes, he has, but we have it covered, why don't you relax," Molly rushed, and George waved her off.

"No, actually, I'd like to talk to Ginny," he said, reaching out as Ginny walked over to hug him. Arthur nodded, quickly pulling his wife into the kitchen to give his children privacy.

"So, Gin Gin, what's happening?" he asked, and she motioned for him to sit with her.

She let out a long sigh, and recounted her day once more. George listened intently, holding his tongue until she finished to ask questions. As she neared the end, she felt the map weighing heavily in her pocket. Hesitantly, she pulled it out and handed it to George.

"What's this?" he said, opening it carefully. Ginny looked around before waving her wand over the paper, and the markings appeared. George startled but quickly recovered to look at the circles.

"Did you find this in his room?" he said quietly, and Ginny nodded.

"I haven't told anyone though; I don't know what to make of it…"

George nodded, his finger hovering over New York. He let out a quiet breath, his lips in a frown.

"Well… I don't know if this helps…" he trailed off, his eyes glazing over as he became lost in thought.

"Anything does," Ginny said, and George came back. He nodded.

"Right, well, remember the day after the funeral, when he disappeared into his room and wouldn't come out?" Ginny nodded, and George continued, "Mum asked me to go talk to him, see if I could reach him somehow. Mother intuition I suppose, but it was right. He let me in and I sat there for a couple minutes in silence with him while he just sat there on his bed, looking devastated. It's amazing, how much all of this aged him.

"Anyway, he asked me how I was doing, if I needed anything, and I told him I was fine, that I had a good support group at the shop and I'd just be there for a bit to gather myself. I turned it on him, you know, tried to get him to talk. He didn't say much, but he did tell me he wish he could go somewhere no one knew his name."

Ginny frowned, her stomach churning.

"Where… where no one knows his name?"

"Yeah, you know, he can't walk down any street around here right now without someone noticing him, even in the Muggle areas. It's got to be downright frustrating. He's very noticeable, right?" George said, his eyes moving to the map again. His fingers traced the lines, moving between circled dots. Ginny felt like she was going to vomit.

"No one would know his name in America," she whispered, and George looked at her. His eyes widened, and he looked at the map again.

"Wait, you think he…" he trailed off, and Ginny looked at her brother. Her eyes were wide, and she was beginning to look panicked. George wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to his side.

"Ginny, talk to me," he said, and she let out a strangled cry.

"The States are huge George, he could be anywhere!" she whispered, her body beginning to shake. George quickly casted a silencing charm towards the kitchen and pulled his baby sister into his arms. She had taken the map from him and was looking at it, her body shaking as she stared at the United States.

"There are a couple thousand kilometers between New York and any of the other circles on that map, how are we supposed to find him?" she said in a rush, her breath coming out of her in spurts. George rubbed her back, shushing her.

"Ginny, if anyone can find him, it'll be you," he said, trying to be comforting, but Ginny looked up at him, her eyes blazing.

"Why me? What if I can't?" she nearly yelled, standing up to pace the floor. Her body was beginning to radiate magic, and it hit George like a warm breeze. He knew the rest of the house could feel it, and when Bill suddenly appeared in the room, George wasn't surprised.

"What's going on?" he asked, his wand ready. Ginny kept pacing though, her eyes on the floor, one hand on her face.

"We were… talking… about what's going on…" George gestured to the map, and Bill's eyebrows met his hairline.

"What's that?" he asked, and Ginny stopped pacing. She looked at the map, and then at Bill, her eyes widening.

"Ginny, what is that?" Bill asked, and George stood. He handed the map to his older brother, who looked the map over. Ginny walked over to them, looking apprehensive.

"You think he's in the States?" Bill said, his mind working quickly. Ginny looked at George, who widened his eyes at her and nodded his head towards Bill.

"Guys," Bill said, and George looked at his older brother.

"We have a feeling he may be there," Ginny said, stepping towards Bill and gently opening the map. She pointed to New York, and Bill pursed his lips.

"So when you asked about New York…" he trailed off, and Ginny nodded.

"And Ginny asked me here to see if Harry had told me anything," George continued, and Bill turned to him.

"And?"

Ginny and George shared a look.

"He said he wanted to be somewhere no one knows his name."

Bill looked at the map again.

"Oh, no."

* * *

**Pt. 2 – Oceans  
(Originally Ch. 4)**

_And you've got to find yourself alone in this world…_

Hermione woke up to the sound of tapping.

Turning over, she looked at the window of the hotel at which they were staying. She squinted, and sat up in a confused daze. She opened the window with ease, and gasped in surprise as an owl flew into the room, a letter attached to its leg.

She took the letter, but before she could give the owl any sort of treat, it took off back out the window. She frowned, looking down at the letter in her hands. She sat back down on the bed, making sure she hadn't disturbed Ron, before opening the letter.

_Hermione, _

_I did not want to be writing this letter, but I feel I need to let you and Ron know of what is happening here. Shortly after you two left, Harry disappeared. I've determined that he apparated off the property, on his own volition, and quite deliberately. _

_Now, I do not want you to change your plans because of this. Mum insisted that we not tell you two, saying that you two need to find your parents, need to do something for yourself right now, and while I agree, I know that you'd want to know this. _

_Please understand, Ginny and I are working hard on this. Well, actually, everyone is, but Ginny and I have an idea of where he might have gone. _

_I feel the need to stress again; please do not change your plans. We will keep you updated, I promise. Ginny promises as well. _

_I hope your search is going well, and please stay safe. _

_Tell Ron I say hello. _

_Love, Bill_

"Ron, wake up!"

Hermione reached over and poked her boyfriend, and he grumbled as he woke. His eyes were unfocused, but they were squinted at her in disapproval.

"Bloody hell, what do you think you're doing?" he asked, rubbing his face. Hermione thrust the letter at him, standing up and beginning to pace. Ron read it quickly, before looking up at Hermione.

"What the hell? Mum didn't want to tell us? Deliberately left?" he looked at the letter again, his mind fully awake. He could see Hermione working herself up, could feel the anxiety rising in the room, and moved to the edge of the bed.

"I don't know Ron, but why would he leave? We all want to help him, we want to move forward and heal from this, and all of us are worried about him constantly and then he bloody disappears! Why would he do this, Ron, why? To Ginny, and you and me, and your mum and family, and to us, why did he leave?" she cried out, and Ron caught her as she walked past him. He pulled her into his lap, shushing her as she began to cry.

"Why aren't you more worried?" she asked between sobs, and Ron bit his lip.

"I am," he kissed her hair, "but one of us has to remain calm."

Hermione looked up at him, her eyes spilling over with tears. She had her bottom lip between her teeth, and he could see a multiple emotions flashing across her face.

"I want to go help and find him as much as you do, but I think mum has a point, and before you say anything," he held up his hand, cutting off the tirade that was building up in her chest, "I know where your mind is headed, and let's ask Bill what he's figured out, and maybe from here we can help a bit, but we are not abandoning this search. Hermione, we spent the past year running for our lives, sleeping in the woods, fighting a war… doing all of that for other people, and now you need to do this.

"I want to go help, I do, but I have faith in Ginny and Bill. Ginny knows Harry well, and Bill is a brilliant mind, I daresay he rivals you," he grinned as Hermione huffed.

"I need to help, Ron. I know I can help," she said, tears spilling onto her cheeks. Ron cradled her head against his chest, rubbing her back.

"We both can, but we're doing it from here. And when we find your parents, and you get their memories back, then we'll go back and help from there."

Hermione let out a broken breath, her body relaxing against his. They stayed like that for some time, Ron's hand moving up and down her back, her hands grasping his shirt.

"I hope Ginny can find him before then," Hermione whispered, and Ron swallowed thickly.

"Me too."

(...)

"What's going on in here?"

Bill, Ginny, and George turned to look at their mother, startled by her sudden appearance. Ginny furiously wiped at her eyes, trying to hide the fact that she'd been crying. Arthur appeared behind his wife, his face apprehensive.

"We're just talking," Bill said calmly, slipping an arm around Ginny's shoulders. She leaned against him, reaching over and taking George's hand. Molly narrowed her eyes.

"Why did we feel a burst of energy?" Arthur asked, his eyes moving between his children.

"Ginny was a bit upset is all, but she's all good now," George said, offering his parents a smile. Arthur and Molly shared a look.

"Right, well Kingsley wishes to speak with you quickly," Arthur said, gesturing towards the kitchen. The siblings all nodded and moved past their skeptical parents.

"Sit, please," Kingsley said as they entered the kitchen, and they took chairs across the table from him. He looked tired, as if he hadn't slept in a few days. His clothes were slightly disheveled, something that didn't go unnoticed by Ginny.

"What's the matter, sir?" George said, and Kingsley smiled at him.

"As you probably know, there are still many threats to the wizarding community right now. I can assure you that there are many people who would like to get their hands on one of the Weasley's. That being said, I want to make sure you understand how important it is that you stay safe, and you do not do anything rash right now," his gaze lingered on Ginny before he continued, "however, I understand how important this is to you. I want to find Harry as quickly as possible, before this somehow spreads. We do not need any disenfranchised death eaters going on a manhunt.

"Moreover, I need you to know that we will help you, in any capacity. I have told your parents, and other members of the Order, that if you need help, to offer it. But this is on the condition that you are open and forward with your intentions."

Ginny looked at her brothers, eyeing Bill carefully. He was nodding slightly, his face all business.

"Of course, sir. And I am sure my siblings feel the same," he said, turning to look at Ginny and George.

"Of course," Ginny said as George nodded.

"Right, then I would like to ask what you know, honestly," Kingsley said, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table. Ginny could see her parents hovering at the edge of the room.

"Mum, dad, come sit," she said, and her parents joined them at the table.

"Where's Charlie?" Bill asked, looking around the room.

"He went with McGonagall to look over some things at Hogwarts," Molly said, and Bill nodded. He turned to Ginny, motioning for her to speak.

"Okay… we might know where Harry went."

Molly looked as if she wanted to yell, but she placed one of her hands over her mouth.

"Were you going to tell us?" Arthur asked, and Ginny sighed.

"I didn't know what to make of it yet, but I found a map in Harry's room and upon inspection, there are all of these circles and stuff, here look," she said, gesturing for Bill to hand her the map. She laid it on the table, waving her wand over it to reveal Harry's scribbling. Molly gasped as she looked over the paper, her eyes moving between circles.

"So, I sent George a quick owl, because I knew that he had spoken a bit to Harry, and I was hoping he remembered anything that Harry said that could help. Since I wasn't sure about what the map meant, I didn't say anything. I didn't want to jump to any conclusions. I'm sorry I didn't show you guys, but I wanted to be sure."

Ginny looked between her parents and Kingsley, and they nodded at her.

"Anyway, I told Ginny about a conversation I had with Harry, where he said he wished he could be somewhere no one knows his name…" George continued, and Bill picked up quickly.

"I know that the major hubs of wizard activity in the States are New York and Los Angeles, because those are where the international apparition ports are, and we have a… bad feeling that Harry is somewhere in the States," Bill finished, looking at Ginny and George to make sure he hadn't left anything out.

"You…" Molly was pale, her eyes moving between her kids, "you think he went to the States… where no one knows who he is?"

Ginny nodded, her throat closing as she heard it aloud again. Bill reached over and squeezed her shoulder.

"How are we to find him then?" Kingsley asked, his outward demeanor unchanged. Bill bit his lip.

"That's the thing; we're not sure."

(...)

"_I think I'd quite like a relaxing holiday, somewhere near the ocean."_

_Hermione pointed to a picture in the paper of a beach somewhere in France and Ginny nodded. They were sitting next to each other on a couch in the common room, taking some time to relax. Harry was sitting against Ginny's legs, his eyes shut as he listened to them talk. Ron was in an armchair opposite the couch, focusing on the chessboard in front of him. _

"_The ocean would be nice, though I've always wanted to go camping, or stay in a cottage," Ginny said, reaching down to gently run her fingers through Harry's hair. He sighed. _

"_You could go stay with Bill and Fleur, entertain them," Ron said sarcastically, and Ginny rolled her eyes at him. _

"_What do you think, Harry?" Hermione asked, looking down at her friend. He opened his eyes slowly, turning his head to look up._

"_About a holiday?" he asked, and Hermione nodded._

"_Well, I've never been on one, so anything really," he said, and Ginny frowned._

"_You've never been on a proper holiday?" she asked, and he shook his head._

"_Everything is usually disrupted by… stuff," he said, waving his hands around. Ron snorted. _

"_Yeah, dark wizards trying to kill you, crazy relatives, the usual stuff," he said, making Harry laugh. Hermione glared at Ron._

"_Ronald, be reasonable here, your best friend has never been on a real holiday!" Hermione said, and Ron shrugged. _

"_I heard him," he said, moving a chess piece carefully. Hermione rolled her eyes. _

"_Anyway," Ginny said, drawing the conversation in again, "that doesn't matter Harry, the question is what kind of holiday could you enjoy?"_

_Harry looked up at her, his expression thoughtful. She rubbed his scalp as he thought, and she didn't miss the affection in his eyes. _

"_Somewhere… not in England," he said, and Ginny laughed. _

"_That's plenty of places Harry, where do you mean? Somewhere in Europe, or another continent?" she asked, Hermione nodding in agreement. Harry shrugged._

"_The States look appealing, though I've only seen selective pictures from those magazines Petunia used to receive, of landscapes," he said, and Ginny ruffled his hair. _

"_Well, someday you'll have to research that, figure out the best place to go," she said, and he nodded. _

"_America is huge, mate, there's a lot to see," Ron said, looking up from the chessboard. Hermione pursed her lips, nodding slightly. _

"_There's plenty to do though, you could probably spend a year there and not see it all," she said, and Harry shrugged again. _

"_We'll plan carefully then," he said, and Hermione and Ginny shared a look._

"_We?" Ginny said, and Harry paused for a moment, looking flustered._

"_I mean… just… well, if you want to come with me, I'd take you all," he said, and Ron grinned._

"_Hell yes, I'll go!" he said, and Hermione rolled her eyes. _

"_After school and this war is over, maybe," she said, and Ron ignored her._

"_Can we go to that Disneyland thing Seamus was talking about the other day?" Ron asked, and Ginny laughed. _

"_Yes, we can go to that Disneyland thing, we'll put it on the list," Harry said, smiling up at Ginny. She scrunched up her face, crossing her eyes at him. He laughed softly, leaning his head against her legs again, closing his eyes again. _

(...)

Ginny woke the next morning, her mind racing. The previous night had ended with a promise to keep the Order in the loop, and to stay safe. Bill and George had left after dinner, which left Ginny alone with her parents. As soon as she could, she'd collapsed into bed and fallen asleep.

The memory was still floating in her mind, tickling her curiosity. Checking the time, she knew her mother was already awake, so she dressed quickly and headed downstairs.

"Morning Ginny," Molly said, and Ginny hugged her briefly.

"Morning, has the post arrived?" she asked, and Molly nodded.

"There's a letter from Ron and Hermione, it's addressed to you," she said, and Ginny smiled as she took it from the table. She grabbed a slice of toast, kissed her mum on the cheek, and headed towards the sitting room.

_Ginny, _

_Firstly, we made it safely. The trip wasn't as hectic as I'd expected, but the travel itself was tiring, so Ron and I have been resting before we venture out to find mum and dad. It's blazing hot here, absolutely uncomfortable. I suspect your brother will have a terrible sunburn if he doesn't protect himself. _

_Secondly, we received an owl from Bill, telling us that Harry's disappeared. Ron and I talked it out, and while I'm firm in my belief that we need to help you, Ron said we are going to do it from here, and not abandon finding my parents. I hate to agree with him, because I feel the need to be there to help, but I know he's right. I won't let him know that yet, though, he'll be insufferable. _

_Now, the only advice I can give you right now is that in our travels the past year, we used many protective spells to hide ourselves. You saw the bag I wore for this trip, and I am sure Harry figured out how to make one for himself. _

_Also, do not doubt that you can find him. I know Harry. I know how he feels about you… and I know how you feel about him. Please, follow your instincts, and keep us updated. _

_Your brother says hi, by the way. _

_We love you, _

_Hermione and Ron._

Ginny folded the letter back up, shoving it into the envelope as her mind went over the letter. She stood and walked into the kitchen, her face twisted in concentration.

"Ginny dear, is something the matter?" Molly asked, and Ginny waved her off.

"I need to talk to Bill, mum, he went home, right?" she asked, and Molly nodded. Ginny shoved the letter in her back pocket and moved back into the living room to the fireplace. Grabbing some floo powder, she threw it down and stepped in.

"Shell Cottage," she yelled, and she shut her eyes as she felt the tug on her middle. She opened her eyes just as she stumbled out of the fireplace in the kitchen of her brother's home.

"Ginny!" Fleur yelped, racing over to hug her sister-in-law. Bill walked into the room, Victorie in his arms. He looked at his sister, his eyebrows going up.

"What are you doing here, Gin?" he asked, and Ginny rolled her eyes at him.

"I need to talk to you about wards and curses," she said, and Bill's face lit up. He handed Victorie off to his wife, kissing her cheek quickly before pulling Ginny to the kitchen table.

"What's up?" he asked, and Ginny sighed.

"So, you know how I could get into Harry's room, and you and Charlie couldn't?" she asked, and Bill nodded.

"Harry really worked those spells around, I never did break it down," he said, and Ginny nodded.

"Well, I received a letter from Hermione, thanks for telling me you wrote her by the way," Bill had the decency to look guilty, "and she mentioned something about the protective spells and precautions they took to hide during their travels the past year, and… well, I was wondering… if I was able to get through the spells on Harry's door, do you think I would be able to get through any other wards he puts up, wherever he is?"

Bill sat back in thought, his hand coming to his chin. He stared at the wall for a moment, his eyes glazing over. He looked to be having a mental argument with himself, and Ginny startled when he stood. He walked over to the bookshelf, searching before grabbing the title he wanted. Sitting back down across from her, he opened the book and began searching the chapter titles.

"Well, I am not entirely sure, because to be fair, a lot of the curses I've dealt with are so old, anyone who was potentially able to walk seamlessly through a ward like Harry had built would be dead, but… ah-ha!" he looked up at her, his eyes shining.

"You know how the wards around the Burrow work, correct? It's a process of allowing magical signatures to pass through the protected area, to block signatures who wish harm. Now, in Egypt, many of these curses were used to block evil spirits, to let the dead rest in peace so to speak. Wizards in Egypt were funny, let me tell you, but aside from that," his eyes scanned the page he'd opened to, "these spells are powerful and if used correctly, or intricately as Harry did, they can create a huge headache for people like me.

"I talked to Hermione about their travels, and she used quite a bit of spells to protect them as they hid. Hermione used, for instance, _cave inimicum_ to keep enemies and or assumed danger away. In combination with _salvio hexia_ and a few others, Hermione was able to secure that no person or hex reach them, and that was if the person figured out they were there.

"On Harry's door, there was a mixture of protective spells and charms to distract whoever tried to enter. I saw at least one babbling curse in there, and a couple bat-bogey hexes. And that red aura you tried to touch, well, I think that's your magical signature," he finished in a hurry, his hands moving over the page again. Ginny tilted her head to the side, confused.

"Wait, so you're saying that the spells around his door, those are like… my magical signature is tied up in them?" she asked, and Bill nodded.

"When we created the wards around the Burrow, we had you all put on the entry list, used your wands, remember? It's an easy process, but you have to be there… and since you don't recall doing that process with Harry…" Ginny shook her head at Bill and his eyes lit up again, "it looks as though Harry somehow was able to wrap your magic up in the spells without your wand or actual power. That's interesting, so interesting…"

Bill trailed off again, and Ginny looked down at her hands. She was thinking about what Hermione had written, "_I know how he feels about you," _and the red spot shining at her in the twisted mess of Harry's spell work.

"Bill," she looked at him as his head snapped up, his mouth agape. He shook himself.

"Yes?" he asked, giving her his full attention.

"Do… do you think, if I find Harry, I'll be able to walk straight through whatever spells he's using to hide himself?" she asked again, and Bill reached forward to take her hand.

"I think _when_ you find him, there will be nothing stopping you from walking right up to him, through whatever protections he's using."

Ginny looked down at her hands, her lip beginning to tremble.

"In her letter, Hermione said… she said that she knows how Harry feels about me… and how I feel about him… is that… is that why I can get through? Because of-" she sucked in a ragged breath, and when she looked up, Bill was smiling kindly at her.

"I got enough information out of those two to know that…" he smiled wider, "that is exactly the reason."

Ginny shut her eyes, her chest constricting. Her mind was swimming with thoughts and emotions, but one thing filled her the most; fear.

"I hope so."

* * *

**A/N: **You are all so lucky I decided to merge these two chapters. Chapters 3 &amp; 4 are really fillers, so hurrying it along to the next chapter is kind of key. The next chapter, which I suppose just became Ch 4, is actually one of my favorites.

**ALSO: **I just want to make it clear that this story is not one of those "Harry disappears, come back later and there's a love triangle." Those stories aren't really what I'm about. Trust me when I say that this story does not skimp on the Harry/Ginny. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. (Well, I hope.)

If you can, please **take a moment to review!** It means a lot to me. Thank you to those who are reviewing consistently, it's really heart warming. Boosts my self-esteem!

Thank you for reading!

-Izzy


	4. Red

**Title:** I Know Places  
**Chapter: **Red  
**Author:** dizzy - in - the - izzy  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever, made money off the things I post on this site.  
**Summary: **A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.

* * *

_Loving him was like trying to change your mind_  
_Once you're already flying through the free fall._  
_Like the colors in autumn so bright_  
_just before they lose it all._

"_Ginny!"_

_Her head turned towards the noise, scanning the trees around her. She was in some kind of forest, surrounded by lush greens and a clear sky above. Despite the shade she stood in, she felt warm and safe. _

"_Ginny," the voice said again, and she whipped her head towards it. She picked up her feet and began walking in its direction, her ears straining to hear… anything. The forest was quiet, unusually so, and she could barely hear her own footsteps. _

_She walked for what felt like days until she reached a clearing. She was standing on the edge of a lake, her eyes barely making out the other shore through the mist. She walked down to the water, her ears still straining to hear any sort of noise, when she saw it. _

_Ahead of her, hovering over the blue water was an orb of red. She wasn't sure if she'd actually seen it at first, as it was faint and almost translucent. However, as she walked forward, her feet reaching the surprisingly warm water, she was certain the red was there. It looked like mist, but it was more solid than that. She stopped walking as the warm water reached her knees. She reached out towards the red, hoping in vain that it would be within reach. _

"_No, Ginny!"_

_She spun on the spot as the water became cold. The sky wasn't clear, and the wind began to pick up. She struggled to escape the water, but it had swelled up above her waist and her body couldn't move through. She opened her mouth to yell, but the air around her swallowed the sound and she screamed to the trees. A mountain appeared in her vision, above the trees, in the direction she'd walked from, and she saw snow. _

_The water was up to her shoulders now, and she could feel the cold seeping through her body. She stopped struggling, and gazed at the mountain as the water rose up, up, up… until she couldn't breathe anymore. _

Ginny gasped as she woke up, sitting up and clutching her chest. She patted the bed, her body, and swiped at the air, making sure she was dry. She quickly lit her wand and looked around the room, her hands trembling as she touched her sheets again. She shivered and looked at the window to make sure it was definitely shut. With a sigh, she sat down on her bed again.

"What was that," she whispered to her empty room.

(…)

The next few days passed in a blur.

Ginny wrote Hermione about her dream, and some other questions she had. Bill stopped by and sat in front of Harry's door, occasionally causing himself to fly backwards across the landing, much to Molly's amusement. Ginny was still able to freely walk in and out of Harry's room, and that is where she spent most of her afternoons.

She had found another map, this one under the bed. It was of Wyoming, which she recognized from the first map she had found. She had dropped her quill on the ground as she paced the room, and when she bent down to retrieve it; the map had been there under the bed.

"Bill?" she called, and she heard her brother huff.

"Yes?"

"I found another map," she said, moving towards the door, making sure she made enough noise so he knew she was walking out. She found him standing, waiting, with his wand ready. He mumbled under his breath and the map opened lazily, writing appearing around the edges.

"What does that say?" Bill asked, squinting. Ginny took the map from him and twisted it.

"Hideaway?" she said, her brows coming together. She sighed heavily, staring at the map.

"This doesn't help," she said, and Bill nodded. He took the map from her again, placing it flat on the floor. He bent over it, his eyes scanning the paper.

"Either way, I want to look this over," he said quietly, and Ginny shrugged. She was about to walk back into Harry's room when her mother's voice echoed up the stairs.

"Ginny, dear, there's a letter here for you!"

"Yes," she exclaimed, bounding down the stairs with newfound energy. She nearly fell into the kitchen, happily taking the letter from her amused mother.

"Expecting this?" Molly questions, and Ginny nodded.

"Yes, very much so. It's from Hermione," she said, smiling at her mother before moving into the sitting room. She read the letter carefully, the words comforting somehow. When she reached the end, she looked up and stared at the fireplace for a moment. The sound of Bill being thrown across the landing upstairs stirred her from her thought, and she looked down at the letter again.

"It makes sense," she whispered, looking towards the kitchen.

(…)

_Hermione had seen Ginny leave the Hall, heading towards the doors to outside. Excusing herself, she jogged over to catch up with her friend. _

"_Ginny, wait," Hermione called, smiling as Ginny stopped walking. When she finally reached the younger witch, Hermione threw her arms around her closest female friend. Ginny's arms came up and hugged her tightly, and they stood there in the sun for a moment. Hermione reached up and held Ginny's head and she could feel her shaking. There were no tears though, just sobs that caused both of them to shake. Hermione finally let up her hold on Ginny, just enough to look into her friends eyes. _

"_I've missed you," Ginny croaked, "so very much."_

"_I've missed you too, probably just as much," Hermione laughed, hugging Ginny again. _

"_I want to hear everything, especially that thing about my brother," Ginny said, a smirk forming on her face. Hermione felt the blush on her face, and she nodded. _

"_Yes, I promise, but first I have to speak to you about something," she said, taking Ginny's arm and pulling her towards the grass outside. _

_They walked for a while, until finally Hermione was sure they could sit in silence. She pulled Ginny down onto the grass, taking a deep breath. _

"_I need you to promise me something," she said, and Ginny raised an eyebrow. _

"_Okay… it depends," she said, and Hermione nodded._

"_Of course, but this is important," she said, and Ginny nodded. Hermione took another deep breath, looking out across the grass. Her eyes glazed over for a second, and she shook herself. She smiled sadly._

"_I need you to promise me that you'll not lose hope."_

_Ginny frowned, tilting her head. Hermione sighed heavily, her hands coming up in wild gestures._

"_It's… with Harry."_

_Ginny bit her bottom lip._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I mean… with him… don't lose hope… about, well you know."_

_Ginny could tell this was difficult for Hermione, so she nodded._

"_I think I understand…" she said, and Hermione smiled._

"_It's just… I've spent a lot of time with him this past year, and if there's one thing I'm sure of… it's that… well…" she smiled then, a knowing smile, "it's you."_

_Ginny felt that all familiar blush creep up her neck, and she coughed._

"_It's me?"_

_Hermione nodded, trying to gather the words._

"_His hope… it's you."_

_Ginny shook her head then, laughing slightly._

"_I'm inclined to call bull," she said, and Hermione glared. It shook Ginny for a moment, and she sighed._

"_Okay, I promise to not lose hope, but… I can also promise you that I'll have my moments of doubt," she said, and it seemed to please Hermione. She looked out across the grass again._

"_Speaking of boys, there's this thing about your brother…"_

_Ginny grinned._

"_Go on."_

(…)

Ginny bounded up the stairs, grinning as she saw that Bill was on the floor again.

"You've got to let things go," she said, and Bill growled.

"I swear, whatever this kid did, it's good," he said, the wall of characters hovering near the door again. Ginny saw the red there, and felt her breath hitch.

"Bill, I have a question," she said, and Bill looked at her.

"Fire away."

Ginny fidgeted.

"What do you know about… shared dreams?"

Bill stood, dusting off his pants. He frowned.

"Why?"

"Will you just tell me?"

"Well," Bill began, "I am not entirely sure about it all, to be honest, but I do know that it's been explored. I mean, no one can accurately capture it and record it; it's such a personal thing. Dreams can vary, even if they're shared, and really the only people who can truly share an exact dream are soul bonded. I believe there is a way to… push your dreams onto someone, using legilimency. But that requires a great knowledge on the subject."

Ginny nodded, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

"And for that, you'd have to actually be near the other person, right?"

Bill nodded, his eyes showing his curiosity.

"Yes. Now can I ask why?" he said, and Ginny smiled.

"Well, I'm not sure, but I feel like… I might have had a dream that can help me find Harry," she said, and Bills eyebrows met his hairline again.

"Really?" he said, and Ginny nodded.

"I just… I have a feeling that it was connected to Harry," she explained, her voice unsure. Bill nodded.

"Well, I suppose if you have a deep enough connection to someone…" he trailed off, his eyes boring into his baby sister. She bristled under the scrutiny.

"I don't like this," she said, and Bill shrugged.

"You're the one who dated the guy," he said, poking at her. She slapped his hands away.

"Don't be rude," she said, turning on her heel and walking into Harry's room with ease.

"Oh, who's being rude now, knowing I can't follow her?" he called after her, and Ginny laughed.

"Poor sport," she yelled back at him, and she heard him curse under his breath.

Sitting down on Harry's bed, she let out a long breath.

"I have an idea," she said, "but to do it, I need you to be quiet."

"What is your idea?" she heard Bill ask.

"I'm going to try to pull out the dream," she said, and Bill coughed.

"Are you sure you can do that?" he asked, and Ginny frowned.

"No… but I did learn quite a bit of occulmency last year… you know, for reasons, and I might be able to organize some of these details," she said, and Bill hummed.

"If you say so," he said.

Ginny moved to sit on the floor, her back against the bed. She shut her eyes, getting comfortable. Taking in a deep breath, she felt her body relax. A couple more breaths and she felt sleepy. Focusing on staying awake, she pushed herself into her mind.

She could feel her emotions deeply. She focused on pushing the emotions into the back, away from her target. She had to move slowly, as it had been awhile since she'd done this. With another deep breath, she pushed harder towards where she believed the dream would be.

Almost on cue, the red hue appeared behind her eyelids. She focused on it, pushing towards it. She suddenly felt warm, as if she was standing in the sun.

"_Ginny!"_

She startled at the voice, but didn't lose focus. She pushed towards it, and a flood of emotions hit her.

(…)

_Harry's hand pulled her through the portrait; the giddy feeling in her stomach multiplied. He smiled at her, almost shyly, as he pulled her to him again and kissed her._

_The feelings in her stomach were going wild, but she put all of her effort in kissing the boy in front of her. When he pulled back, he was grinning widely. _

"_Damn him," she thought, a grin breaking out on her face as well. _

"_Come," he said, taking her hand again and pulling her down the stairs. She kept stride with him, trying to ignore the eyes that followed them of the few students still out. Harry pulled her down through the entrance hall and out onto the grounds. She moved closer to him as the cold air hit her face, and he easily wrapped his arm around her shoulder. _

_They walked slowly, and she wished she had the words to speak. She could see his face fidgeting, and knew he was working on words, so she waited._

"_Remember that time you put your elbow in a butter dish?"_

_She stopped walking, a smile forming on her face. _

"_Of course I do," she said, and Harry moved to stand in front of her. His eyes were shining. _

"_You blushed so deeply, all the way to the roots of your hair," he chuckled, and she had the urge to hit him. _

"_Yeah, so?" she challenged, moving to stand toe to toe with him. He looked down at her, in what seemed to be amusement. _

"_You were very cute back then."_

_That wasn't what she was expecting._

"_Cute?" she asked, and Harry shrugged._

"_You were eleven, that's a compliment," he said, and she laughed._

"_If you say so, Potter," she said, biting her bottom lip. They stood there for a second, eyes locked. Ginny sucked in her lips, letting them pop out of her mouth with a wet noise. Harry smiled._

"_Do… do you want to kiss me?" he asked in amusement, and Ginny narrowed her eyes at him._

"_I think you want to kiss me."_

_They stared at each other. _

"_Yeah, I do," Harry said, bringing his hands up to cup her face. He placed his lips against hers, and she felt the smile in them. She moved her arms around his torso, taking in the feelings. There was a fire in her chest, and she felt a jolt as his thumbs moved across her cheeks. He smiled against her lips._

"_Well, that's exactly what I wanted," she whispered, and he laughed lowly._

"_I've wanted to do that for… months," he confessed, and Ginny looked at him. Her eyes were slightly surprised, but he was sure he saw some smugness. _

"_When Hermione's right, she's very right," she said, and Harry laughed._

"_Oh, she's going to be so full of herself," he said, and they both laughed. Harry pulled her into his arms then, holding her against his chest. The feeling of her arms winding around his torso sent shivers up his spine, and he sighed involuntarily. He rested his nose against her hair, letting her smell fill overwhelm his senses. He hummed softly, his body relaxing. _

"_You're still in your Quidditch robes," he said, breaking the silence. She nodded against his chest. _

"_Well, I did just win the biggest game of the year while you had detention," she countered, and he chuckled._

_He pulled back and examined her. Her hair was falling out of its ponytail, her face was flush, and she looked as though she'd met the ground a few times during the game. She was watching him carefully, and she crossed her arms as if on instinct. He laughed silently at her. _

"_You're beautiful," he said, and Ginny felt her face burst into flames._

"_Alright Potter, what are you playing at?" she asked then, advancing on him. However, instead of shrinking away in fear as most people did, he met her, toe to toe. She ran right into him, and he caught her lips again in a soft kiss. _

"_Ginny, will you go out with me?"_

_She leaned back, raising one eyebrow._

"_Go where?" she asked, knowing what he meant. His flustered expression was worth it._

"_Where? No I mean…" he glared at her, and the idea that she was making him this nervous sent a thrill up her spine. _

"_Ginny, will you be my girlfriend, so I can take you out on a date?"_

_Ginny had to stop herself from giggling: it was all too much. She held her composure long enough to wrap her arms around his neck, bringing his head down. _

"_Yes," she whispered, finding his lips again. He lifted her off the ground, spinning her around in his arms. She laughed then, really laughed, and he joined her with ease. He held her there, feet off the ground, flush against his chest, as he kissed her again. _

"_Brilliant."_

(…)

"I know where to find him."

Arthur stood in the kitchen, listening to his daughter speak. Ginny looked anxious, and her eyes were wet. Bill was standing next to her, his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure?" Kingsley asked from his place at the table, and Ginny nodded carefully.

"I… can't quite explain it, but I know how to find him. I just need to know a couple things."

Kingsley looked at Bill, who nodded slightly.

"Sit," Kingsley said, and Ginny took the chair opposite him.

"Where's the international apparition port located in New York City? And will my use of magic be tracked in the States?"

"Yes," Kingsley began, "the international port is located in New York, at the Ministry there. It's quite easy to go through, you just have to claim what possessions you're bringing in, and state your general business in the United States. As for tracking of magic, I do believe the legal age in America is 16, something that was set up during one of the Muggle world wars, and still in place today due to current international conflicts. So, no, your use of magic shouldn't be tracked that way, per say, but because you are travelling through the country, they will keep track on the spells your wand produces, to make sure you are not doing anything incredibly illegal.

"There are some agreements between the Wizarding communities around the world for conduct of travelers. No Unforgivable curses, of course, and if you start using defensive spells in excess, they will come to investigate."

Ginny bit her lip as she took in this information. Kingsley took a moment to think, allowing Ginny a chance to look at her parents. They looked worried, and Molly was close to tears.

"If Potter left from this property and apparated straight to the States, he might have had a bit more trouble at the port, unless he skipped it entirely. I do not want you going that route, so when you are ready, I can take you down to the Ministry and let you apparate from our appropriate location," Kingsley smiled at the youngest Weasley, and she nodded.

"I'm ready now," she said, and Molly gasped.

"Now? How are you ready now? Are you honestly packed?" she said in a hurry, Arthur wrapping an arm around his wife.

"Yes, I'm ready now. Hermione told me a few tricks on how to pack lightly, so to speak," Ginny said as she pulled out a small pouch from her pocket, and Bill grinned.

"Hermione's too smart for her own good," he said, and Molly pursed her lips.

"You're absolutely ready to do this?" Molly asked, and Ginny nodded.

"I know where I'm going, mum. I know where to find him."

Kingsley looked at Molly and Arthur, and then at Ginny.

"If you say so, I can take you down there now," he said, and Ginny perked up a bit. Molly sucked in a sharp breath, breaking away from her husband to hug her daughter tightly.

"Mum!" Ginny complained, and Molly shushed her.

"If you're going to be travelling alone halfway across the bloody world, I'm going to give you a huge hug young lady."

Ginny smiled, wrapping her arms around her mother and sighing.

(…)

Kingsley walked down the corridors of the Ministry, Ginny following close behind him. She had changed before leaving; putting on layers of clothing she could easily remove. Molly had insisted on packing a couple sandwiches for her, which were now tucked away in her pouch.

"In here," Kingsley said, holding a door open for Ginny to walk through. She entered into a large hall that was bustling with people. She could hear multiple languages being spoken at once, and a strange creature mewling off to the side. She looked up and saw signs indicating countries, along with an entering and exiting indicator. Under the talking she could hear the telltale sounds of people apparating, cracks and pops sounding through the room.

"Here, the United States," Kingsley brought Ginny back to attention, and she smiled at the woman sitting behind the counter.

"Heading to the States?" she asked, in an accent Ginny suspected was American.

"Yes ma'am," Ginny replied, and the woman handed her a form.

"Please fill out the indicated spots, make sure to be specific, and when you're finished we'll run a quick test on you to make sure you won't splinch yourself."

Ginny moved away from the window to a clear spot on the counter and filled out the form with ease. Kingsley spoke to a couple workers while he waited for her to finish, his voice carrying over the rest. When she'd finished, she handed the form over and stood still as a different woman waved her wand around Ginny's body, nodding as she went.

"You have a license?" she asked, and Ginny turned to look at Kingsley. He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket, winking at Ginny, and handed it to the lady.

"Excellent, when you're ready, you're all set to go," she said, moving back. Ginny looked at Kingsley, and he grinned.

"I am the Minister of Magic, Ginerva," he said, mirth in his voice. Ginny laughed, holding out her hand to shake his.

"Thank you, sir," she said, and he shrugged.

"I owe a lot to your family, and to Mr. Potter. This is the least I could do," he said, and she smiled at him again.

"Now, get going!" he said, gently pushing her towards the counter again.

The woman behind the counter indicated to a spot on the floor, which Ginny saw was now glowing. She stepped into the circle, and with one last look at Kingsley, she turned on the spot and disappeared.

* * *

**A/N:** OKAY FIRST OFF thank you to everyone who took a moment to review, it was quite nice and made me smile. I've been having bad weeks, and anything positive helps.

Anywho, I like this chapter because I got a chance to... explore. I felt it was rushed, but at the same time, I feel like finding Harry is v important and everything they're doing is in a hurry. And before I'd merged the last two chapters together, it felt like I wasn't picking up pace at all. So, oh well. It is what it is. Also, side note, this chapters song title is like... my favorite Harry/Ginny song at the moment, so if you haven't already heard it, DO IT.

Reviews are encouraged and appreciated!

-Izzy


	5. Welcome To New York

**Title:** I Know Places  
**Chapter: **Welcome To New York  
**Author:** dizzy - in - the - izzy  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever, made money off the things I post on this site.  
**Summary: **A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.

EDITED 5/20/15: Fixed some continuity errors.

* * *

_The lights are so bright_  
_But they never blind me_

Travelling short distances by apparition made her feel queasy, but international apparition made Ginny feel genuinely sick. She landed on her feet in a bright room, her hands reaching out for something to hold. Looking around, she saw a counter in front of her, and she placed her hands flat on it.

"Greetings, welcome to America!"

She looked up quickly, and immediately regretted it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she nodded.

"It's quite a trip, coming from England," she woman said, and Ginny pursed her lips.

"Trash cans right there if you need to throw up."

Ginny almost had time to thank her before her stomach heaved and she bent over the bin, shaking herself as the queasiness lessened. She wiped her forehead and stood up straight again, observing her surroundings.

The brightness of the room was attributed to the high ceilings made mostly of windows. Through the windows, Ginny could see tall buildings rising up towards the sky. Whipping in the wind at the top of one of the tallest buildings was an American flag.

"Sorry 'bout that," she said, turning her attention back to the attendant. The woman smiled, pushing a clipboard towards Ginny.

"Not to worry, happens a lot, now I'm going to need you to move to your right, as we've got more people coming in today, and just fill out that form for me really quick," the woman said in rapid fire, and Ginny struggled to keep up. She shuffled to the right, and a second later, someone appeared in the circle she'd been standing in.

"Greetings, welcome to America!"

Ginny looked around for a quill and ink, but was perplexed when she didn't see one. She settled on a bin labeled 'pens' and she took one quickly. She examined it for a moment, catching the eye of a worker who nodded encouragingly, and began to write.

The form was already half filled out for her, with the information she'd written down in London. There were highlighted portions she easily filled out ("What brings you to America?") until she came to one of the final questions.

"How long do you plan on being in America?"

Ginny frowned, looking around. She caught the eye of the worker again, and sensing her question, the woman walked over to where Ginny stood.

"You have a question?" the woman's nametag said Linda, and Ginny nodded.

"I'm not sure of exactly how long I will be here, so I'm not quite certain of what to write down," she explained, and Linda nodded.

"Well, over estimate. There really is no penalty for being here longer than you said you were going to be, but it's better to be safe than sorry, right?"

Ginny nodded, looking at the final question again. Making up her mind, she wrote down two months, and then looked back at Linda.

"And now that I'm finished?" she asked, and Linda grinned.

"I'll take that form, do you have another destination you're heading to?" she asked, and Ginny looked up at the windows again.

"Well, I do… but I think I might like to see what's… up there," she said, and Linda nodded eagerly.

"Of course! If you head down that hall, follow the signs, you'll find the bank teller who can exchange some of your money into American dollars, and before you leave the building, don't worry there are signs, there's a little kiosk to pick up maps that'll help you a lot," she spoke just like the first woman, and Ginny nodded to just get her to stop talking.

"Okay, thank you!" Ginny said, nodding at the woman behind the counter before moving towards the door Linda had indicated.

The hallways were darker than the apparition room, and Ginny had to blink to see right. There was a glowing sign in front of her, telling her she was heading in the correct direction for the bank teller. As she walked, the sign followed her, and while it was strange, Ginny was glad it was there. Everyone around her was moving quickly, barely stopping to acknowledge anyone.

When she finally found the bank room, she was pleased to find it mostly empty. She shuffled up to the counter, reaching into her pocket for her pouch.

"Hello there, what currency are you trading in?" the small man said, his face not as friendly as the woman in the apparition room.

"Galleons and sickles," she said, placing the coins on the table. The man counted them, his fingers moving quickly. He nodded and swiped the coins out of sight. He moved away from the window and returned a moment later with a stack of green bills.

"These are dollars, I broke it down so you're not carrying any of the bigger notes, and you have your ones, fives, tens, and twenties. It's basic math and addition, much simpler than your sickles and knuts. Then you have the coins, which are pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. A penny is one cent, nickels are five, dimes are ten, and quarters are twenty-five. These coins make up a dollar, so one hundred pennies is one dollar. You can do the other math, any questions?"

Ginny stared at the coins in front of her, her eyes wide.

"I believe so," she said, and the teller nodded.

"At the kiosk near the entrance, there's a small note card with the explanation on it," he said, a smile in his eyes. Ginny almost sighed in relief.

"Thank you, sir," she said, and he simply nodded at him.

When Ginny finally did make it out of the building, she found herself on a bustling street. She had expected the people, but she hadn't known that she would find something similar to Diagon Alley.

The street was busy with foot traffic, with not a car in sight. The atmosphere reminded of Diagon Alley from years ago, before the war. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the map in her hands. The map was charmed to show the direct route to a location matching your thoughts. And, as Ginny thought of how nice it'd be for something to eat, the map zoomed in on her spot and a yellow line showed her the way to a sandwich shop just up the road.

She looked around as she walked, wary of the other people. She wasn't sure why everyone was moving so fast, and she felt herself get swept up in the crowd. On her right was an animal shop, and she could see dogs and cats in the window, playing with obviously charmed toys. The other side of the street was the Ministry building she had just exited.

She looked down as the map vibrated in her hand. Right ahead of her was the sandwich shop, and she smiled as she smelled the bread.

"Brilliant," she mumbled, bounding across the street to the door.

(…)

Ginny spent a solid five hours exploring the area, which she later learned was named Salem's Way. She had stocked her pouch with even more items (including a sweater with the words "I New York" on it) and some food. She had browsed their bookstore, finding a few magical maps of the continent.

When she was finally finished, she wandered back into the Ministry building, following the signs for the apparition room once more. This time when she entered, the room was much quieter and not as bright, as the sun had moved from overhead and was beginning to set.

"Where're you headed?" asked a small man next to the door.

"The west coast," she responded, and the man pointed her towards a small section of the room. She moved around the few people in the room to the desk, smiling at the person sitting there.

"Hello," the woman named Christine said, "where you headed?"

"Wyoming," Ginny said, watching her reaction carefully. Christine barely blinked, or move her head, as she reached over to her right and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Each state has their own branch of the wizarding congress, so you'll apparate directly there. This is the location; repeat it to yourself a few times before going. You're all set, as travelling between states is simple."

Ginny looked down at the piece of paper, pronouncing the city name in her head. After a couple times, she moved into the circle and twisted on the spot.

This journey was much simpler, and she didn't feel queasy on arrival. A pale man sat behind the counter, in front of a vivid banner that said, "WELCOME TO WYOMING", greeting her. She quickly signed the form he handed her. He pointed her in the direction of the main office and she exited quickly. The walls weren't as bright here, and the hallways smelled like dust.

In the main office, she found the maps for which she was looking. A young man standing near the maps told her about the weather recently ("It's been a bit chilly, you might want to put on actual pants.") and offered her maps he thought would help. When she finally made it to the bathroom, thanking the stars it was empty; she took the time to look at herself in the mirror.

Her hair was a mess. She swore to herself as she pulled her brush out of her pouch, shaking her hair free from its messy bun. After a quick brush and a new hairstyle, Ginny splashed some water on her face. It made her shiver, which reminded her to change her clothes. Finding clothes was a different task, and she had to dump half of her belongings onto the vanity before a pair of jeans and a jumper fell out. She also pulled out her boots, pulling them on begrudgingly.

"Why Wyoming?" she mumbled to herself as she looked at herself in the mirror again, looking much more put together. With a huff, she shoved all of her things back into the pouch, stashed the pouch away, and made her way outside.

She had already known her destination before ascertaining the maps, but they were helpful nonetheless. She was pleasantly surprised to find no people out on the streets, just a few cars driving past. She made her way out of sight anyway, stepping behind a tree before she stared at the spot on the map in her hands and twisted on the spot again.

(…)

Ronald Weasley landed on the grass outside of his home with a soft thud. Around him, two other people landed on their bums, crying out in surprise.

"Mum, dad, it's alright."

Hermione helped her parents to their feet, keeping her eyes glued to their faces.

Jack and Rose Granger had been easy enough to find, under the names Wendell and Monica Wilkins. Reversing their memories had been a different task, and while they had most of their memories back, some things were still foreign to them.

Magic, for instance, was a subject that hadn't fully formed.

"We're quite alright," Rose said, taking her daughters hand. Jack picked up their bags and nodded up towards the Burrow.

"Is this yours?" he asked, looking at Ron. Ron nodded, looking up at his home, his eyes spotting his mother in the kitchen.

"Mum's downstairs, I bet she'll be ecstatic."

They walked up to the house, Ron leading the way. Molly must've heard them, because she opened the door before they'd reached the steps.

"You're home!" she yelled, flying down the stairs to hug her youngest son. She quickly moved onto Hermione, tears flowing down her face. When she seemed to finally notice the Grangers, she straightened up.

"Lovely seeing you again, so glad you're back," she said, holding out her hand.

"It's…. Molly, correct? Molly and Arthur?" Jack said, shaking her hand. Molly nodded, more tears seeming to spill from her eyes.

"Yes, yes 'tis, please, come inside, I'll make tea," she said, pushing the Grangers up the stairs. Hermione followed her parents, beaming at Molly. Ron stopped his mother from following, waiting until they were alone to speak.

"Heard anything from Ginny?" he asked, and Molly grimaced.

"Not yet, but that could mean anything. Arthur said she will be able to Floo from the Ministry like offices there, but not a peep."

"She left early this morning, right?" Ron asked, and Molly nodded.

"Kingsley said she made a clean travel right into New York, but that's all he knows as of right now."

Ron nodded, and was about to say something more when Hermione popped her head out the door.

"I know what you two are talking about," she said, a smirk on her face. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Sure you do," he called after her as she disappeared back inside the house. Molly's eyes lit up.

"Have a good trip?" she asked, amusement filling her voice. Ron blushed deep red.

"Let's get back inside; you said something about tea…"

(…)

Ginny reappeared with a soft pop next to a tree. She looked around, making sure she was out of sight, and sighed when she realized she was deep inside a thicket of trees. Thankful she'd put on her boots, she maneuvered through the trees until she came to a clearing. The sight nearly took her breath away.

It was the lake from her dream. She ran down to the water's edge and turned around, her adrenaline pumping. Before her stood the mountain and she nearly jumped for joy. She turned back to the lake, her eyes searching the shores. She could see multiple campsites along the edge, along with what appeared to be creeks flowing in and out of the lake. She dug around her pouch and pulled out the map of Yellowstone National Park she'd picked up at the Ministry office.

This map, much like the map of Salem Way, was enchanted to show the user where they stood. The map zoomed in on where Ginny stood, and her mouth twitched.

"Heart Lake," she said to herself, chuckling. She searched the shore, and stopped when she came to a campsite not far from where she stood.

It was labeled as 'Hideaway', and it wasn't that far of a walk. Grinning, Ginny pushed the map back in her pouch, cast a quick warming charm on her body, and made her way around the shore towards the camp.

It took about half an hour, but when tents finally came into view, she felt her stomach surge. There weren't many, and they were spread out around the area. She left the shore and followed a path up into the grass. The tents all looked very similar, and she pursed her lips. She knew that if Harry was using wards, she wouldn't be able to find him as easily. Wracking her brain, she remembered something Bill had told her, about curse breaking.

She looked around to make sure she was alone. Closing her eyes, she focused on pushing her magic out around her. She could feel the plants, the slight breeze, and the presence of more magic. She pushed towards the energy she felt, and it reverberated as she touched it. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw a glow of red off to her right. She lost her concentration as she looked at it, and it slowly disappeared.

She moved towards where it had come from, stepping over puddles and sticks as she did. There were two tents in the area, though she wasn't sure if the magic was coming from either of them. She stopped so she could look at both.

"Harry?" she called, hoping desperately that he would just respond. A few birds squawked from a tree nearby, and a bug flew past Ginny's ear. No human made a noise.

She sighed as she pushed her magic out again, and she felt the reverberation of energy pushing against her. The red glow reappeared, and she furrowed her brows. The feeling was coming from the tent that sat almost completely against the trees to her left. She dropped her magic and moved towards it. She half expected the wards to prevent her from entering, but as she stepped over a puddle, she could feel the wards as she passed through them.

"Harry!" she called, walking closer to the tent. This time she heard rustling coming from the tent. She held her breath as the tent flap opened and messy black hair came into view.

"Yes?"

Harry walked out of the tent, a heavy sweater draped over his body. His eyes were as haunted as she remembered, and his face looked more sunken, if that was possible. His mouth twitched as he saw her though, and she took that as a good sign.

"Yes? YES?" she said, moving towards him. She came up short less than an arm's length away from him.

"Yes?" he repeated, and she growled angrily.

"I travel halfway around the world to find your bloody arse, and all I receive is a yes? Do you know how badly I want to yell furiously at you right now?" she said through gritted teeth, and she saw a shadow of a smile sweep his face.

"I assume a lot," he said, and she sighed heavily. He was standing in front of her, looking utterly defeated, and while she just wanted to yell and scream and hex him into next year, she also felt the overwhelming urge to hold him and feed him and take care of him.

She decided on the latter.

He didn't move away from her as she crossed the distance between them, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him into her arms. He moved his arms around her torso, though it was a loose grasp, as though he was scared she'd disappear. She reached up and moved one of her hands into his hair, gently massaging his scalp.

"I want to hex you so badly right now," she whispered, and his arms tightened around her. She took that as another good sign.

"I know," he whispered, his body beginning to shake.

They stood there for a few minutes, arms wrapped tightly around each other. Ginny could feel her anger in the back of her mind, but pushed it away. She knew there would be a time to yell, but at the moment it was time to comfort. When Harry finally loosened his grip on her waist, he looked down at her with sad eyes.

"I… I half expected Ron and Hermione," he mumbled, and Ginny let out a dry laugh.

"Nope. Just me," she replied, and this time a smile actually did cross his face. She moved out of his arms and into the tent, not surprised to find it expanded and quite roomy. It was warm too, and she smiled at the feeling. Harry moved around her to a teakettle that was on the table.

"I want a full explanation, Harry."

He poured hot water into a cup that was also on the table, his shoulders slumping.

"I want a full explanation as to why you're here and not at home, at the Burrow," she said, walking over to sit down at the table. He sat down across from her, pushing the cup of tea her way. He looked up at her and she saw guilt swimming behind his glasses. She reached over and took his hand gently, squeezing it.

"Think about it, while I drink my tea," she said, letting go of his hand to pick up the gloriously warm cup. She watched him as she drank, his face twisting.

When he finally did speak, she was pouring herself another cup.

* * *

**A/N: **So, here's where things really begin to take shape. I like this chapter a lot, because I got to think about how the wizarding world of America would work, and quite honestly it's kinda fun. I also like the focus on Ginny, and her travel. I just love Ginny so much, I swear.

Sorry it's up so late! Work is consuming.

Reviews are encouraged!

-Izzy


	6. The Lucky One

**Title:** I Know Places  
**Chapter: **The Lucky One  
**Author:** dizzy - in - the - izzy  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever, made money off the things I post on this site.  
**Summary: **A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.

* * *

_Another names goes up in lights,  
You wonder if you'd make it out alive. _

* * *

**The Boy Who Ran?**

**Sources at the Ministry of Magic have hinted that Harry Potter, the young man who defeated Voldemort, has ran away from where he stayed in Ottery St. Catchpole, with the Weasley family. A Ministry worker said a one Ginerva Weasley left the country completely, travelling to New York in the United States of America. Communication is limited between the Congress of Magic and the Ministry, but it is rumored she's searching for The Boy Who Lived.**

**Is there more to the story of the defeat of Voldemort than we've been told?  
Or has Mr. Potter decided to abandon the community he's created? **

**Time will tell.**

Hermione threw the Daily Prophet down onto the table, her face red with anger. She was pacing the kitchen of the Burrow, ignoring her parents worried looks.

"It isn't even written by that lousy Skeeter!" she half shouted, looking at Ron. He bit his bottom lip, shaking his head. He was about to speak when the fire erupted and Percy walked into the living room. He looked hesitant at first, as his integration back into his family life had been strained, but when Molly smiled at him, he moved into the kitchen easily. He spotted the paper on the table and nodded.

"I see you've seen the Prophet. I can assure you that I've tried to ascertain who has leaked this information to the press, but it's futile. I even asked Skeeter, and she mumbled something about keeping her word, whatever that means," Percy explained, and Hermione grinned widely at Ron. He almost laughed.

"Well, despite all of that, we need to make sure to keep this quiet," Molly said, and Percy nodded.

"Of course. Kingsley has already disciplined the people who saw Ginny leave, and he's talked to the Prophet to see if they'll retract the statement for the time being," he paused, looking around the room, "but… I must ask, is Ginny actually _searching_ for Harry? She does know where to find him, correct?"

Hermione stopped pacing, looking at Molly.

"I daresay that of anyone to find Harry, Ginny's the one for the job. From what Bill was telling me, Ginny might be the only one who _can_ find him," Hermione said.

The room was quiet for a moment, and Percy cleared his throat.

"Well, I do hope she checks in soon."

(…)

"I couldn't…"

Harry trailed off, his eyes glazing over. Ginny watched him closely, and she could see the pain in his face. She knew the look, understood what he needed.

She stood and moved around the table, pulling him to his feet. She led him over to the bed in the corner, pushing him down onto the mattress. She laid down next to him, pulling the blanket up over their legs and torsos. He let her position him so she could lay her head on his shoulder, her nose in his neck. She placed her free hand on his cheek, rubbing her thumb over his skin. He sighed.

"I couldn't… handle it," he choked out, and she replied with a soft hum.

"All of them… they're all dead, because of me. Cedric, Sirius, Dumbledore, Fred, Remus and Tonks… so many … they're all dead because of me. Hogwarts is in pieces, families are broken apart… all because of me."

He stopped as his body began to shake, and she could feel the tears flowing down his cheek. She didn't move though, waited for him to speak again.

"I know that… no one blames me, but I never wanted anyone to die. I never wanted anyone to suffer. Ron and Hermione… they deserved better than this. Think of the happiness they could've had if they hadn't decided to stick by me-"

"Harry, even if they hadn't been your closest friends, they would've fought beside you, because they believe in you, like so many others do."

Her words seemed to startle him, and he let out a strangled breath.

"I feel… so much guilt, so much regret."

He paused, taking in a deep breath.

"I never wanted any of this," he finally whispered, and Ginny felt her heart sink.

"I know," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. She snuggled into him, hoping that he could find a bit of comfort in her arms.

"I can't handle any of that right now, any of the press, the meetings, the obligations, the funerals, and families… I feel terrible for feeling that way, but… it's too much," he whispered, and she nodded.

"Harry… what have you been doing for the past seven or so years?" she asked quietly.

"School?" he answered and she nodded.

"And what's happened every single year at school?" she whispered, and she felt him tense up.

"Voldemort," he mumbled, and Ginny blinked rapidly.

"You've been fighting to stay alive for years, Harry. You've been putting others before yourself, trying to make sure that no one died on account of you. You've saved countless lives, and while it's come at the cost of others, they knew what they were signing up for. It was a war, Harry. A war that sadly involved children and teenagers and people with so much left to do with their lives," she thought of Fred, "but they did it because you inspired them. You fought for years against Tom, with all that you had."

She looked up at him and saw his trembling lip.

"There are people who expect you to lead right now. But there are far more people who expect you to take time to recover from the hell you've been dealing with for years."

He let out a sob then, and Ginny quickly moved up the bed to pull his head to her chest. His body shook uncontrollably, the grief and stress rolling off him in waves.

"I want to help you, Harry. Mum wants to cradle you like a baby and sing you lullabies, I'm sure," she said, and she heard him let out a strangled laugh.

"I'm so sorry Ginny. You deserve so much better," he mumbled into her chest, and Ginny felt her anger flare up again.

"Harry James Potter, I know what I deserve. And I know what you deserve. Right now, it's a swift kick in the arse. I deserve another cup of tea and possibly a good snog," she said, and Harry laughed hollowly.

"I've missed you so much," he looked up at her, his eyes red. She smiled at him, moving her fingers into his hair again.

"You could've stayed," she whispered, and he had the decency to look ashamed.

"But I understand why you couldn't," she said, and he actually smiled up at her. His eyes drooped slightly, and he tried to stifle a yawn.

"You should sleep, you look absolutely terrible," she said, reaching up and taking his glasses off his face. She kicked her boots off her feet, and she heard his shoes hit the ground as well.

"Thanks for that, Gin," he mumbled, squinting up at her. She placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

"Sleep, and I promise I'll be here when you wake," she said, and he shut his eyes slowly. His face was twisted though, and she seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.

"You're more than deserving of my support and care, Harry. Don't even doubt it."

He smiled.

"I won't," he whispered as his body relaxed and he slipped off into sleep. Ginny watched him for a moment, her chest constricting. His face was so peaceful and stress free in sleep. She settled in against him, slipping her hand under his sweater to feel his skin. It was cold and he felt skinnier than ever.

Tears in her eyes, she tried to get some sleep.

(…)

Harry woke many hours later, the sun shining brightly overhead. He fumbled to grab his glasses, which Ginny had placed above his head the night before. Slipping them onto his face, he looked down.

Flaming red hair was splayed across his chest. Ginny was tucked into his side, her face pushed into his sweater. The blissful warmth he was feeling was her arm under said sweater, her hand flat against his chest. He relaxed into the warmth and shut his eyes again.

Ginny snuggled into his side felt wonderful. The smell of her hair, the feeling of her breathing, and her sheer warmth brought him immense comfort, and he tightened his grip on her. He hadn't been surprised when she'd shown up. And while a part of him still wanted to hide in the trees, not talk to anyone, he also wanted to talk and laugh with Ginny.

He supposed it was the stress of the last year that made him feel that way.

His hand found a strand of Ginny's hair and he twirled it around his fingers. He could remember trying to distract her from homework by playing with her hair, and the look on her face as she told him it wasn't going to work, she had a lot of revising to do. He would stick out his bottom lip and make his eyes as wide as they could possibly go, and she would laugh and tell him it wasn't happening.

It always did though.

He closed his eyes again and relaxed into the bed. He didn't want to wake Ginny, knowing how taxing apparition travelling was. He was certain that when she awoke, she would want to shower, as he could smell the sweat and grime on her.

It was nearly an hour before Ginny woke up, stretching out lazily against his side. She let out a long groan, arching her back into him. He could feel every inch of her front, and he silently counted to ten.

"How long you've been awake?" she mumbled almost incoherently. Harry reached up and brushed her hair away from her face. She blinked up at him.

"Not too long," he said, offering her a small smile. She nodded, hiding her face as she yawned.

"It's daylight?" she said, and Harry nodded. He looked at his watch.

"It's a quarter past noon. We must've slept for over twelve hours," Harry said, and Ginny grimaced.

"I can't believe I was that tired," she said, sitting up on the bed. She stretched her arms above her, bones creaking as she did. She looked down at him.

"I can, however, believe _you_ were that tired," she said, and he fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"I was comfortable," he said, sitting up next to her. She shot him a look before standing up and looking around.

"Hungry?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Famished," she replied, watching as he stood and walked over to a chill box near a small fire pit. He rummaged through it, pulling out sausage and eggs. Without a word, he lit the fire and got to work, preparing food for her. She watched him from the table, noticing how he used a mixture of magic and Muggle techniques. She felt useless, watching him make her breakfast. He pulled some biscuits out of a cabinet and handed them to her wordlessly.

"Do you need any help?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"If you want to warm up the tea," he said, tossing her a bag of tea. She grabbed her wand off the table and pointed it at the kettle, watching as the sides changed color with the warming water. She stood and walked over to the cabinet, looking inside and finding two glasses. She turned and looked at Harry as he stood watching the sausage and eggs cook.

Placing the cups back down in the cabinet, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his back. He jumped at first, obviously lost in thought, but relaxed when he saw the top of her head. He felt her face press into his shoulder blades and he patted her hands.

"Food is almost ready," he said, and she nodded.

"Thank you," she said, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. She turned to grab the cups again when his arms came around her, twisting her on the spot. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, standing on tiptoes again. He hid his face in her hair, holding onto her tightly. He stood up straight and she was lifted off the ground, instinctively wrapping her legs around his torso.

He stood there holding her for a few minutes, his breathing slow. Ginny moved her hands over his shoulders, applying light pressure. When the smell of sausage hit her nose, she smiled.

"Breakfast is ready," she whispered, and Harry hummed. He pulled back to look at her, his eyes full of unshed tears. Ginny leaned her forehead against his.

"I'm not hungry," he mumbled, and she scoffed.

"That's not going to work on me," she said, unlocking her legs and falling gracefully to the ground. She glared at him as he pulled the food off the fire, shuffling over to the table. She grabbed the cups and sat down right next to him, leaving no space. He wrapped his arm around her as she divided the food, purposely giving him more.

"You're going to eat," she said, and he sighed.

"I'm honestly not hungry," he insisted, and she looked up at him. She saw him flinch, but didn't care.

"Look, part of the healing process is taking care of your body physically," she said, daring him to argue with her. He looked at the portion she'd given him.

He picked up a fork and stabbed the sausage. She rolled her eyes as he took a bite.

"You better eat up, because as soon as it's settled, we're going on a hike."

(…)

Molly stood at the kitchen sink, staring out across the landscape of her home. In the distance, she could vaguely make out the silhouettes of reporters at the wards edge. Since the news had broken about Harry, they had flooded the area, causing everyone to hide within the house again.

Molly hated feeling trapped.

She looked up as something silvery caught her eye, and she was surprised to find a horse sprinting at her. She stepped back into the kitchen and waited as the silvery horse entered the house, stopping a few feet in front of her.

"I've found Harry. It'll be awhile," came Ginny's voice, and then the horse disappeared into a mist.

Arthur rushed in from the back door, as he'd been out in his shed.

"Was that Ginny's Patronus?" he asked, and Molly nodded.

"I didn't know you could send those internationally…" she mumbled, and Arthur walked to her.

"What did she say?" he asked, and Molly shook herself from her thoughts.

"She said she's found him, but it's going to be awhile," Molly said, and Arthur nodded.

"I suspected as much," he mumbled as he kissed his wife's cheek.

(…)

"You're slacking Potter!"

Harry glared up at Ginny, regretting his decision to join her on a hike.

After breakfast, she had told him to change into good shoes and meet her outside. When he'd emerged from the tent, she was standing before him wearing what was obviously one of his button up shirts, shorts, and trainers. She'd given him a wide smile and set off, barely waiting for him to catch up.

"I didn't ask for this," he said, stepping over a sizeable hole to stand next to her. She offered him a soft smile.

"You brought yourself to one of the most beautiful places in the world," he gave her a quizzical look, "yes, I read the map."

He nodded, looking around. He had to admit that it wasn't a lie. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and the plant life was vibrant and alive. A slight breeze felt wonderful on his neck, and was playing with Ginny's hair in a favorable way.

"I guess I did," he said, pushing past her and moving along the path they'd found again. She easily caught up to him, taking his hand.

"Why did you decide to come here, by the way?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Harry knew she'd been dying to ask this question all day; it was written all over her face.

"I… um, found it on accident really," he started, squeezing her hand as they walked.

"Accident?" she prompted, and he shrugged.

"I went to Gringotts, shortly after the battle," he began, walking slower, "to pull out some money and things, and Griphook told me since I had reached of age; I could access my full vault."

She looked up at him, leaning her head against his arm. He smiled at her.

"So, instead of my school vault, I was taken to my parents vault. I was given time to explore, and I came across this box my mother had thought was valuable enough to save. Inside were pictures, muggle pictures, of a trip my grandparents had taken her and Petunia on when they were small, to this beautiful looking park. With the photographs was the map I left behind on accident, and a letter she'd written to her grandparents about the trip.

"It was full of… amazement, as she was about seven or eight, and she'd written that it was the freest she'd ever felt. I thought that… if she had felt that way… as a child, maybe I could find some of that freedom here."

Ginny stopped walking, and Harry stilled beside her. He was watching her carefully.

"That sounds beautiful, Harry," she said, and he nodded.

"It was… nice, to find. Something purely hers. There's so much in that vault, I couldn't spend too long looking around. I have a couple of the smaller items I found in the tent," he said, and Ginny's eyes lit up.

"Will you show me?" she asked, sounding nervous. Harry smiled, bending down to kiss her forehead.

"Of course," he said.

They began walking again in silence. Ginny observed Harry as they went, noting that he seemed to be standing a bit straighter. She felt her heart surge.

They followed the trail until it met up with one of the creeks. They then followed the creek back to the lake, where Harry plopped himself down onto the shore. Ginny laughed, but kicked off her shoes and waded out into the water. The bed was rocky, but the stones were smooth. She walked until the water was above her knees and turned to look at Harry.

He was sitting with his legs crossed, watching her. His cheeks were rosy, and his shirt was sticking to him in strange places from sweat. He waved meekly at her, and she flashed him a smile. He smiled at that before letting himself fall onto the ground, laying flat on his back. Ginny rolled her eyes.

She walked back to the shore, holding her hands in the water to cool them down. She quickly shuffled over to where Harry lay, and placed her cold, wet hands on his face.

"Hey!" he yelped, and she grinned at him.

"Felt good, right?" she said, wiping his hair off his forehead. She flicked water at him and he groaned.

"Water spots on glasses are the worst," he mumbled, taking them off to wipe them clean. Ginny chuckled, pulling out her wand to cast a drying spell on her legs.

"Ready to head back to camp?" she asked, and he nodded as he slipped his glasses back on his face.

"I'm ready for a shower," he said, pulling his shirt off his body. She nodded, very aware of how dirty her hair was becoming.

He brushed off his legs as he stood up, offering his hand to help her. She took it and leaped up to stand next to him. He was looking at her strangely, with what appeared to be a mixture of fondness and amusement.

"This, this was nice," he said, and Ginny licked her lips.

"You feel better, don't you?" she asked, and he let out a sigh of defeat as he nodded.

"I feel…" he trailed off, his eyes searching her face. She bit her lip as his hand came to grip her upper arm, squeezing it gently.

"I feel alive," he said quietly, and she beamed at him. She was about to speak when he bent down and kissed her softly.

Harry's hands moved to cup her face and he pulled back slightly, placing his forehead against hers. Their breaths mingled and Ginny felt strange butterflies in her stomach.

"Thank you," he said, pressing his lips to hers again. She returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his torso. This time when they broke apart, he was looking right into her eyes, admiring the way they shined brilliantly in the sunlight.

"You're welcome," she whispered.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks to each and every one of you for the reviews and the favorites and follows. It means a lot. As usual, yadda yadda, the good things.

These next few chapters have some elements of PTSD, survivors guilt, spell damage, etc... so just be warned. I really like the next few chapters.

Reviews are appreciated, _encouraged_, very loved.

-Izzy


	7. State of Grace

**Title:** I Know Places  
**Chapter: **State of Grace  
**Author:** dizzy - in - the - izzy  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever, made money off the things I post on this site.  
**Summary: **A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.

**READ: **This chapter contains PTSD, spell damage, and anxiety.

* * *

_We are alone, just you and me  
Up in your room and our slates are clean_

"Do you have your things?"

Ginny nodded at Harry, gesturing to the pouch in her hands. He reached for her hand and took it gently, pulling her out of the tent and into the cold night air. They walked to the edge of the wards where Harry pulled Ginny close and apparated away.

They reappeared behind a quiet building, lights pouring out from inside. Ginny could practically smell the warm water, and her body hummed. Harry had said that taking a shower at nighttime was easier, because there were always less people, and it was easier to sneak in and out.

Harry pulled her around to the front of the building. There were the normal two entrances, for men and woman, and Ginny began to move to towards the entrance for women when a sign caught her eye. She frowned.

"Harry, the women's is being cleaned…" she said, turning to him. He shrugged, pulling her in the opposite direction to the men's side.

"I suppose you'll have to use the men's showers then," he said, and she shrugged.

"It will feel like home."

The room had recently been cleaned, as the floors weren't soaking wet and the mirror sparkled at them. Ginny observed them in the mirror for a second, frowning. Between her matted down hair and dirty face, and Harry's thin body, they made quite a sight.

"There's a couple stalls, and I think I have enough change to run two," Harry said, and Ginny turned to look at him.

"We'll share."

His head whipped up to stare at her, his cheeks burning. He adverted his eyes, coughing slightly as he fumbled with his belongings.

"It's okay, I mean… you can have your own, I…" he stammered, and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Harry," she said softly, and he looked at her.

"It's fine," she said, reaching over and taking the change in his hand. She walked down between the stalls until she came to the last one, looking at the small area to change. She felt Harry walk up behind her, and she looked to find his cheeks still red.

"Gin-"

"Harry, get in the shower."

She pushed him into the stall and held the door shut, standing outside as he took off his clothes. She heard him pull open the curtain to the shower, the clink of the coins going into the slot, and the feeling of steam as hot water rushed out of the spout.

"O-okay," Harry said, and Ginny opened the door. She locked it behind her, stripping off her disgusting clothes and folding them next to Harry's. She looked up at the broken light fixture, the main reason she'd picked this stall, before pulling the curtain aside and joining Harry in the shower.

He was staring at the wall above the showerhead, and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Where's your soap?" she asked, and he pointed to where his things were. She grabbed the soap and turned him around, beginning to run the bar over his back.

"It's nothing we haven't seen before," she said as she winced at his bony body.

"I… I know," he said, though he seemed to shift nervously.

She grabbed his shampoo, squirting some into her hand.

"Stick your head under the water," she said, and he moved into the water. His body seemed to relax as the warmth spread from his head down his body. His eyes were still closed, and she easily reached up and began to massage the shampoo into his hair. She felt her body brush against his, and he jumped in shock.

His eyes opened and he stared at her as she finished rubbing his scalp and pushed him back into the water. He shut his eyes against the soap, and let her rinse his hair. She massaged his neck when she was finished.

"My turn," she said, moving so she was under the warm water. She felt her muscles relax and the feeling of the past two days rinse off her. She opened her eyes to see Harry staring at her face, of all things.

"Could you get my back?" she asked, turning so she was facing the wall. She heard him grab her body wash and pouf from her things. It was a moment before the mesh touched her skin, and she relaxed into Harry's gentle ministrations.

"This actually feels nice?" he said, and she hummed.

"It feels splendid, I can feel the gross skin coming off me," she said with a chuckle.

He moved lower on her back until he was right above her bum, and he hesitated. He moved the pouf around her hips, bringing it to her lower abdomen, and scrubbed gently across her torso. He had to move in closer to her to do so, and she could feel him against her backside. She leaned against his chest, her heart skipping a few beats as he moved up and over her breasts. She felt herself shiver.

"I'm-"

"Don't you say it," she said, tilting her head back to look at him. She knew what kind of angle he was getting on her body, but his eyes didn't stray from her face. He'd always been like this. It comforted her.

"Okay," he whispered, handing her the pouf. She put more body wash onto it and turned to face him, pressing the pouf to his chest. She moved it in circular motions across his shoulders and down his chest, wincing at the sight of his ribs. She knew that he'd probably lost weight in his travels, but this was worrisome. He'd always been lanky, but he'd been athletic, and Quidditch had given him some muscle. Now, he looked sunken and weak.

"Stop that," he said, and she startled from her thoughts. The pouf was on his arm, and she continued moving it.

"Stop what?" she said, and he reached up to touch her cheek.

"I know you're analyzing something. You have that look."

She looked up at him and sighed.

"You've lost weight," she said, and he didn't flinch.

"I know," he said, taking the pouf from her when he deemed she'd finished. He grabbed her shampoo and poured some into his hand.

"Get in the water," he said, and she moved her head under the stream until it was thoroughly soaked. When she stepped out, Harry easily ran his fingers through her hair. A strange smile crinkled his eyes, and he looked at her with warm affection.

"Flowers," he said, and she raised an eyebrow.

"You usually smell like flowers," he said, and she could only blink.

"It's just my shampoo," she said as he gently massaged her scalp.

"It's distinctly you," he mumbled as he guided her back under the water, cutting off her response.

"What does that mean?" she asked, and he gently ran his hand up her arm to cup her elbow.

"It's your smell. It… it's comforting," he said, twisting her so he they could stand under the water together. Steam was keeping the stall warm. But Ginny knew most of the warmth was coming from their cheeks.

"That's almost poetic," she said, and he rolled his eyes at her. He kissed her forehead, his hands on her sides. She could feel her body relaxing, tension leaving her shoulders. The feeling of Harry's hands on her waist, the water beating down on her shoulders: it made her chest ache.

"I try my best," he said, and she reached up to place her hands on his chest, leaning against him slightly.

"If you're going to try your best as poetry, could you also try your best at eating?" she said, trying her best to smile sweetly at him. He squeezed her hips, his fingers trailing up her body as he moved to cup her face.

"You're trying to fatten me up," he said, and she glared at him.

"If a gust of wind moved through here right now, you'd fly away like a leaf," she countered, and Harry laughed at that.

"I'd find something to grab onto," he said, ducking his head to kiss her. She returned it, though when they broke apart she wasn't fazed.

"I'm not going to help you," she countered, and he laughed again.

"Are you thoroughly clean?" he asked, and she nodded. He stood there for a moment before shutting off the water. He stepped through the curtain and handed her towel to her. She wrapped it around her body tightly, noticing that it was radiating warmth.

"We can apparate from here if you want," he said, and she thought about it for a second.

"Sure, hand me my sandals," she said, and he passed them through the curtain. She pulled it back to see that he'd pulled on his dirty jeans. She pointedly looked at them.

"I'll change when we're back in the tent," he said, and she shrugged. He packed their things back into her pouch and moved to stand next to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. With practiced ease, they disappeared with a pop and reappeared right outside the wards of the tent.

Ginny broke away from him and rushed inside, moving up to the bed and pulling the curtain shut. Harry entered behind her and changed next to the table, and was finished before Ginny reemerged, her hair dry from a quick spell.

"I feel much better," she said with a smile, reaching for him. He walked to her easily, letting her snuggle into his chest. It was a welcomed feeling, one he'd missed.

"Do you want to eat now, or wait until morning?" he asked, and she looked up at him.

"Morning," she replied, and he smiled.

"Good, because I'm exhausted," he said, pushing her back up to the bed. He'd expanded it earlier in the day, realizing that fitting two people on a twin mattress wasn't that comfortable.

He extinguished all the lights spare the one above the bed, crawling in and smiling as Ginny moved closer to him.

"Good night Harry," she whispered as she got comfortable, her leg wrapping around his.

"Sleep well, Ginny."

(…)

Harry woke the next morning to the smell of food wafting through the tent. He sat up groggily in bed and saw Ginny placing two plates of food on the table, her hair tied up in a very messy bun. She was already dressed for the day, once again in a shirt that looked suspiciously like one of his. She smiled at him as she moved to grab the teakettle.

"Morning," she said as he stood and walked down to her. He grabbed the cups she'd placed on the counter near the fire and followed her back to the table, sitting down next to her. She pushed a plate at him, and he noticed it was much fuller than the one in front of her.

"This is a lot of food," he said, and Ginny nodded as she brought a spoonful of porridge to her mouth.

"You don't have to eat all of it now. Just know that, if anything, you need to eat everything on that plate today."

He looked down at the food, his eyes travelling over the eggs, sausage, porridge, and toast. He bit the inside of his lip and tried to find his hunger. He looked at Ginny as she ate and pretended to ignore him. He noticed that her hand was shaking slightly but shook it off, his eyes going back to his plate.

It took awhile, but eventually he managed to eat all of the eggs and half of the sausage. Ginny finished her plate before he finished, so she cleared her dishes as she waited. When he pushed his plate away, Ginny picked it up and stowed it away in the cooler for later.

"Do you know what time it is?" she asked, and Harry looked at his watch.

"It's barely noon," he replied, and she hummed as she sat down next to him. He looked at her as she drank her tea, a strange look in her eyes.

"Do…" Harry began, and Ginny looked at him, "would you like to see some of the things I found in my parents vault?" he asked in a rush, and Ginny's eyes lit up.

"Of course," she breathed, and he nodded. He stood and moved over to the bed, pulling a box out from under it. Ginny sat down on the bed and watched as he pulled items out of the box, placing them carefully on the mattress.

He picked up a jewelry box and sat down next to her, holding it gently in his hands. She smiled at him encouragingly and he opened it.

"This was my grandmothers, my mum mother," he said, and her eyes widened as she looked at the jewels there. Harry picked up earrings and necklaces adorned with pearls, emeralds, and rubies. He placed a simple gold chain with a ruby pendant in her hand, and she could feel it radiating warmth.

"I think it's enchanted, though I would want to ask Bill before I did anything with it," he said, watching as she examined the stone.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, "but your mother was muggleborn, how could her mum have an enchanted stone?" she looked up at him, and he shrugged.

"I think that most of the items in this are my grandmothers, because it has her initials engraved on the top, but I think my mum placed a couple of items in here," Harry said, pulling out a ring.

Ginny gasped as she looked at it, her hand immediately coming up to hold it. It was a double band, made of gold, and the center stone was deep purple that reminded Ginny of the sky at dawn.

"It was my grandmother's wedding ring," Harry said, watching her as she looked at the engraving on the inside. She smiled.

"Is your grandfathers in there?" she asked, and Harry nodded. He pulled out another double band, gold ring, this one without a stone. Ginny held them in her hands, smiling.

"They're absolutely beautiful," she mumbled, and Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him.

"Wait until you see my parent's rings," he said, digging around in the box again. Ginny watched anxiously as he placed the rings in her hand.

They were both made of silver. James' was a simple band, but Ginny noticed that it seemed to be glowing. Lily's was the same, though the emerald stone set right into the band took her breath away. It was definitely glowing, and she looked up at Harry carefully. He had a sad smile on his face.

"They definitely enchanted theirs," he said, picking up his father's ring.

"My parents had paired Patronus', his silver stag and her silver doe, and I assume they chose to have silver bands over gold because of that," he said, watching the ring shine in his hand. Ginny placed Lily's ring in his hand as well, and gently closed his fingers.

"It's wonderful that you found these," she whispered, leaning up to kiss his cheek. He nodded, his eyes shining bright with emotions.

"Let me show you the photo album," he said, gently placing the rings back in the jewelry box and reaching over to grab a leather book. He flipped it open quickly, and pointed to a picture on the page.

"That's my mum and Petunia," he said, and she leaned forward. The picture was in black and white, and wasn't moving, but Ginny could clearly make out the differences in the sisters. Lily was laughing, her face bright and happy, eyes shining. Petunia wasn't laughing, but she was smiling, her arm thrown around her sister. They were on the beach of a lake, dressed in swimsuits and rather large hats. Ginny stared at Lily, right into what she knew were eyes just like Harry's, and felt a lump in her throat.

"Wow," was all she could muster, and Harry squeezed her against his side.

"Look at this," he said, flipping the page and picking up a very old piece of paper. He unfolded it and she saw messy handwriting on the page. He handed it to her and she read it over, recognizing it as the letter Harry had mentioned before.

"This handwriting is a mess," she mumbled, looking up at Harry. He shrugged.

"I must've gotten it from someone," he said, and she chuckled.

"There's a lot more here," she said, looking at the rest of the items on the bed. He picked up a couple of the books, which Ginny recognized as journals.

"These are a couple of her work journals, where she took notes on spell work and charms. There are some really useful spells in here, I will have to share with Hermione," he said, flipping through the pages. Ginny picked one up in her hands, opening it to a random page. While most of the page was filled with notes and meticulously organized information, there were some doodles in the margins and nonsense words. Ginny ran her finger over the words.

"This…" she trailed off, holding the journal closer to her face to read some of the smaller writing. Harry's hand gently caressed the back of her neck.

She blinked as her hands began to shake, and she swore under her breath. She let go of the journal and clasped her hands together tight, ignoring the way Harry had tensed next to her.

"Ginny," he said, and she shushed him.

She squeezed her hands tighter, the shaking moving up her arms. She leveled out her breathing, using the method her mother had taught her. Slowly, her body relaxed and she felt the shaking begin to lessen. With one last deep breath, she let her hands fall motionless into her lap.

She looked up to find Harry's wide eyes staring at her. He looked confused and angry, and she bit her bottom lip nervously.

"Ginny, what was that?" he asked quietly, his voice even. Ginny gulped.

"It's nothing, it's fine," she said, and Harry's nostrils flared.

"That wasn't nothing. That looked like spell damage," he pressed, and Ginny looked away, her anger suddenly flaring up.

"I'm fine," she said again, and a wave of emotion hit her.

"What happened last year?"

His voice was deadly quiet, and Ginny couldn't look at him. She didn't want this, didn't want to talk about it. She didn't even talk to Neville about it, and he knew. Neville knew every detail of what happened to them, knew exactly what had gone on, known the sacrifices they'd made.

She didn't know if she wanted to burden Harry with that knowledge.

"A lot," she said, and Harry suddenly stood.

"Blimey Ginny, what happened? I heard bits and pieces but that is spell damage! You didn't suffer that in your fifth year, I _know_ that," he said, and Ginny glared at him.

"Look, it's history now," she started, but Harry cut her off.

"It's not history if it's still an issue!" he practically yelled, and Ginny advanced on him.

"Look," she began fiercely, "it's not something I necessarily want to talk about! It's not a time of my life I want to relive at the moment," she yelled, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm not the only one who's suffering here!" he responded, and she gasped in shock.

"I'm not the one who ran away from the problems! At least I stayed, let people in! I'm coping with it! You're here, Harry! In bloody AMERICA!" she bellowed, and he rounded on her.

"You're not coping if you can't talk about it! I know I'm not coping, YOU'RE NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGING IT!" he roared, his cheeks flaring. The air buzzed with anger.

"You left, and I did what I had to do to survive the past year. And I do ACKNOWLEDGE it, better than you do!" she flared, her hair matching her intensity.

"You have SPELL DAMAGE! Fucking spell damage Ginny! How am I supposed to handle the idea that someone tortured you enough that you have PERMANENT damage to your body?!"

She felt her eyes prickle.

"IT'S NOT YOURS TO FUCKING HANDLE!"

She turned on her heel, rushing out of the tent, tears beginning to fall down her face. She picked up speed until her feet touched the lake, ignoring the fact that she was still wearing her pajama pants. She saw her reflection in the water before smacking it in anger.

(…)

_Molly Weasley awoke to the sound of screaming._

_She rushed out into the hall and to her daughter's door, opening it quickly. Ginny was sitting up on the bed, her eyes wide, body shaking uncontrollably. Quickly, she moved to the bed and gathered her daughter up in her arms._

"_Ginny, what's wrong?" she asked, rubbing her back. She was still shaking. _

"_I… mum it was terrible," she gasped, tears pouring down her cheeks. Molly hadn't seen her daughter cry this much in years. It was painful to watch, the strong and fiery woman breaking down into some semblance of the terrified girl she was at eleven._

"_Shh, I've got you dear," she said, rocking Ginny slightly. She was still shaking, her arms and hands the worst, unable to grasp her mother's shirt._

"_Ginny, I want you to breathe in while counting to seven, and then let out the breath while counting to ten. Repeat that until the shaking stops," she said, and she felt Ginny take in a deep, shaking breath._

"_I want it to stop," she sobbed, her voice small and broken. Molly felt tears come to her eyes._

"_I know," she mumbled, kissing Ginny's head._

"_They were brutal, mum. Neville and I taught ourselves occulmency just to fight them off. They wanted to take the younger students, and we wouldn't let them," she sobbed, "and we'd go instead… it was horrible, absolutely h-horrible."_

_Molly felt herself bubbling with anger and she gripped her daughter tighter. _

"_They tortured you?" she asked, and Ginny's sob was louder and more broken. Molly took that as her answer. _

"_I'm so sorry, so so sorry," she mumbled over and over again until Ginny tired herself out, falling back to sleep in her mother's arms. _

(…)

Ginny heard Harry wade into the water next to her, could still feel the anger rolling off him in waves. She didn't look at him, and he didn't touch her. It was almost too much to bear, and she started her breathing again.

"Ginny, I want to know," he paused, "I need to know."

"What if I don't want you to know?" she countered, and she heard him sigh in exasperation.

"I don't _care_," he said, his hand moving to her elbow. She jerked away from him, and she could feel his hurt look on her back.

"I _care_, and you don't need this on your shoulders right now. You'll blame yourself."

Harry scoffed loudly.

"I'll feel bad, but I will not blame myself. Your choices aren't mine, and you know that. It's just like you said about Hermione and Ron. You stood by me; you've always stood by me, because you believe in me. And you and Neville… you obviously stood your ground last year, protected us. And that was your choice, your determination. I will not blame myself," he said firmly, and she felt her chest tighten. She let out a strangled sob, and his hand grasped her elbow again. She didn't shake him off, but she didn't look at him.

"I can handle this," she snapped, and he let go of her elbow.

"Spell damage isn't something you can handle until it goes away, Gin. It's permanent," he snapped, and she turned to glare at him.

"I don't need you trying to fix this! I don't need saving anymore, Harry. It's _you_ who needs saving now! Disappearing like that isn't very Gryffindor of you," she snapped, holding her chin high as his face contorted in anger. He crossed his arms slowly.

"I'm not trying to _save_ you," he said lowly, walking towards her slowly. His eyes didn't leave hers as he came to a stop right in front of her.

"I forgot what you went through once," he whispered, "and I'll never forget it again."

They stood there in silence for a moment, the moment sizzling. Ginny clenched her fists at her side, willing them not to shake now. She could see a bit of her reflection in his glasses, and the look on her own face scared her. She looked wild, angry, out of control. She knew all of this though. She knew what this had done.

She'd known back then too.

"I don't need someone trying to protect me," she said, and Harry nodded.

"I know that," he replied easily, and her nostrils flared.

"I don't need someone trying to save me."

"I don't either," was his reply, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Harry," she began, but he cut her off.

"Look Ginny, I know why I'm here," he reached up to touch her cheek, "and I know why you're here. You, me… everyone… we all need a little fixing."

"You the most," she whispered, and he just continued to stare at her.

"You can't forget about yourself," he said, and she scoffed.

"Coming from you, that's a hoot," she snapped, but he didn't flinch.

"Coming from me, it should mean a lot more," he whispered, and she felt tears in her eyes. She wiped them away furiously, hating how easily they streaked her cheeks.

"I'm not trying to forget about myself," she stammered, "it's just… you, and this place, and… I was so scared I couldn't find you… and here I am… and Harry, oh," she covered her face, shaking her head. Her hair tickled her sides and the water sloshed around her legs. She could feel her insides shaking.

But it wasn't just her insides.

It was her torso, and her legs, and her hands, and the shaking of her head wasn't voluntary any longer. Harry rushed to her, picking her up easily and rushing them out of the water, out of sight, into the tent. Ginny shook the whole way, her teeth clenched and her eyes shut. She was beginning to hyperventilate, and Harry could feel the panic.

"No, no, not them," Ginny mumbled through clenched teeth, her eyes still shut. Harry placed her on the bed and sat behind her, holding her against his chest tightly. She was making noises that reminded him of an animal, and tears were flowing down her face.

"Ginny, I have you, you're okay," he whispered into her ear, placing a kiss on the side of her head. She continued to shake.

Harry took in a deep breath, allowing his chest to press against her back. He let out the breath slowly, pulling Ginny in the motion, keeping her flush to him. He continued to breathe, moving Ginny with him.

"Harry," she whispered, her body still shaking. Her jaw wasn't clenched, and her eyes weren't squeezed shut.

"I'm right here," he said, kissing her hair again. He kept breathing, and she began to match her breathing to his. Sobs escaped her chest as her body began to relax into him, a strange calm swallowing her up. Her breathing became slower than his, and as the last few tears fell onto his arms, she fell asleep where she sat.

Harry maneuvered them back onto the bed, never letting go, and positioning them so he was spooning her. She twitched suddenly in her sleep, and he placed his lips against her ear.

"I'm so sorry Ginny."

* * *

**A/N: **I AM SO SORRY THIS IS A DAY LATE! Tuesday was overall busy and I ended up falling asleep at 7pm and waking up at 4am so...

This chapter has one of my favorite lines in it, that I'm so glad I was able to pull out of my head. I love this chapter overall really, and it's the set up for a lot of bigger stuff. We're getting to the good stuff now, I swear.

Leave me reviews! I hate to be the begging type of writer, really, but it's always nice to know what people like and don't like and if y'all see anything to fix. But, you know.

-Izzy


	8. re:stacks

**Title:** I Know Places  
**Chapter: **re:stacks  
**Author:** dizzy - in - the - izzy  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever, made money off the things I post on this site.  
**Summary: **A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.

**READ: **This chapter contains violence mentions, PTSD, anxiety, and more spell damage.

* * *

_It's the sound of the unlocking, and the lift away_  
_your love will be, safe with me._

* * *

_Ginny could still feel the shaking of her body as she staggered up the halls towards her common room. The pain in her head was worse than she'd felt before, and she knew she was crying. As she came closer to the portrait of the Fat Lady, she heard someone rushing towards her. _

"_Ginny!"_

_It was a second year, named Emma, and the girl grabbed Ginny gently and pulled her towards the portrait. The Fat Lady didn't ask for a password, her eyes were wide with shock and her hand was covering her mouth. She'd seen the older kids beaten and bloodied, but Ginny was worse than she'd ever seen. _

_The common room was quiet despite being practically full. As Emma helped Ginny into the room, Neville was up and at her side, helping her into a couch by the fire. She fell down with a thud, and a Hufflepuff student she didn't recognize rushed over and started muttering spells. Ginny could feel the wounds on her arms healing, and a warm feeling spread through her legs. _

"_Ginny, can you hear us?" Neville asked, and Ginny nodded. _

"_My head's killing me," she mumbled, and the Hufflepuff rushed off quickly, coming back with what Ginny recognized as a Pepper-Up potion. _

"_Here, drink this, it'll help with… all of it," the boy said, and Ginny nodded. She leaned heavily against Neville, her hands shaky as she took a gulp of the potion. _

"_It's crowded tonight," she mumbled as the potion moved through her body. _

"_The Carrows were on the hunt, apparently started bursting into common rooms. People fled here, you know how it goes," Neville replied, his eyes searching the room. Ginny pushed herself up, feeling the effects of the potion. No steam poured out of her ears though, and she didn't take that as a good sign. _

"_What's your name?" she said to the Hufflepuff who had helped heal her. He blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. _

"_Marcus, Marcus Maher. I'm a fifth year," he said, and Ginny nodded._

"_You're really good at healing spells," she said, and he shrugged._

"_Mum's a mediwitch, been teaching me since I was a baby," he replied, and Ginny could only smile. _

"_Well, thank you," she said, offering her hand. He shook it hesitantly._

"_I should be thanking you. My brother's one of the kids you helped, kept the Carrows away from him."_

_Ginny swallowed thickly, and she felt Neville's hand on her arm. _

"_You need sleep, Ginny," he said, and Marcus seemed to startle._

"_I have a potion here, Mum taught me years ago, that'll help keep the shaking away while you sleep!" he said, rummaging through his bag and pulling out a small vial. Ginny looked at it carefully, sizing it up. She finally took it, looking at Marcus. _

"_Thank you," she said again, and he brushed it off. _

"'_S the least I could do," he said before scurrying off into the throng of people in the room. Ginny saw Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws scattered about the room, all huddled together. Older students were helping the younger ones with their homework, or comforting them quietly. One Hufflepuff girl had four first years huddled around her as she read a book. _

"_They were really bad tonight," Neville said, "but I don't have to tell you."_

"_There's been news that they've been spotted."_

_Neville looked at Ginny, his eyes wide._

"_The Carrows… Snape… they thought I might know something… stupidly," she coughed, and she wasn't surprised to find a bit of blood in her saliva. _

"_They've been spotted?"_

"_It came down through the line to Snape, apparently someone thought they saw them," she said, leaning against the couch while she stood. She knew that people were listening. _

"_So they wanted to see if you knew anything? Even though, even if you did, they would somehow know first?" Neville's face was angry, and Ginny reached over and touched his arm._

"_They're not that bright," she said, and there were collective laughs around the room. Ginny looked at everyone, suddenly acutely aware of the attention she was getting. She could feel the younger students gazing at her in a mixture of fear and admiration, while the older students looked on with respect. _

"_I'm going to bed," she said, and several people moved to let her pass. She heard some people bid goodnight, a couple touched her back, and a timid first year beamed as Ginny walked past. Standing in front of the staircases, she took the one up to the boy's dormitory. _

_With a long sigh, she laid down on her brother's old bed, tears beginning to fill her eyes. She heard Neville come through the door and stop by the bed._

"_Do you need anything?" he asked, his voice cracking now that they were alone. She felt her chest shake, and she sobbed quietly._

"_I need this to stop," she gasped, clutching the blanket tightly. Neville touched her leg._

"_Take the potion, get some rest. I'll wake you up in the morning," he said, and she looked at the potion vial. With one last sob, she poured the potion into her mouth and fell asleep within seconds, tears still streaming down her face. _

(…)

Harry watched as Ginny began to shake, her face twisting in agony. He reached for her, gently, but she startled and her elbow came back and connected with his jaw.

"Ow!" he yelled, and it woke her entirely. She turned to him, eyes wide with fear, full of tears, and looked him up and down. When she finally focused on him, saw the way he was holding his jaw, the tears burst from her eyes.

"Oh, Harry!" she said, turning around to cup his face gently. She grabbed her wand and mumbled a couple spells, and the pain in his mouth subsided slightly. Her eyes searched his face, and he saw the panic returning, so he grabbed her hands gently.

"It's okay," he said and she groaned.

"It's not! I hurt you! I'm so sorry," she said, and Harry shook his head at her.

"I'm fine," he said, and she glared at him.

"There's blood in your mouth," she snapped, and he reached up to touch his lips. He frowned.

"Bit my tongue," he replied, and she shook her head, more tears coming to her eyes. She placed her wand back on the ledge above the bed and twisted her arms around her body. Harry watched as she shut her eyes and began to rock herself.

"Ginny, let me help you," he said, and she shook her head.

"I'll just hurt you again," she snapped, and Harry bit his lip.

"Not this time, I won't startle you," he said, but she shook her head again.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said, and he huffed. He reached over and ran his finger gently up her arm, and she froze as he wrapped his arm around her. He pulled her into his lap, holding her back firmly against his chest. She remained frozen as he pulled a blanket over their legs and one around his shoulders.

"You don't hurt me," he said, but she let out a soft sob. Harry could feel his heart breaking. He hated this.

He relaxed his body as he held her, burying his face in her neck. She continued to let out small sobs, and Harry could only wonder what she'd dreamed of. She had slept soundly, barely moving. It had been shortly after he'd gotten up for a glass of water that she'd started to stir, and he had thought she was beginning to wake. He had caught a couple of phrases (_"I need this to stop" "No, please"_) to recognize that she was having a nightmare.

And then she'd began to shake.

"When you're ready," he whispered into her ear, "I'm here to listen."

She shook, her breath coming in a gasp. She brought her hands up and gripped his forearms, her nose dropping to rest on his arms. He placed a soft kiss on the back of her neck.

"Neville and I-" she stopped, her throat closing on her. Harry moved his head so he could nuzzle her ear. She coughed to clear her throat.

"We were the leaders," she said, and he nodded.

"I heard," he whispered, and Ginny bit her bottom lip.

"We… we tried to help as many people as possible. It didn't matter which house. We'd let them into the Gryffindor common room. The Fat Lady didn't question the colors of people's robes as they gave her the password. They streamed in night after night, some bearing cuts and bruises, and others running from those giving them out. We used Hermione's coin trick, and the oldest kid in each house, even Slytherin, had one. The Carrows didn't care which house you were in. If there was trouble brewing, we'd alert the others. We would gather up students and send them to bed, keep the older and more brave ones in the common room.

"It was awful- they were awful. They knew who to pick, who to try to get information out of. But it never worked, and it always made them angrier. They tried veritaserum, but your plan worked; none of us knew where you were. And then… then they became impatient."

Ginny let out a soft cry, and Harry reached up to massage her scalp. She shuddered against him.

"You don't have to-"

"No, I need to," she said, looking at him. He nodded, kissing her forehead gently.

"They caught a third year Ravenclaw one night. I was helping some students with their homework when my coin nearly burned into my skin. I gathered up all of the younger students and sent them to their dorms. Neville and I were about to head to the Ravenclaw common room when the portrait burst open, and in walked Terry carrying a girl named Natalie. She was a second year, and she was in bad shape. Neville rushed through some of the healing spells he'd learned and we gave her some water. She was shaking and crying and she starting sobbing when I asked her what happened.

"The Carrows had used t-the cruciatus on her. She said she'd gotten a bit lost on her way back from the library, they'd caught her, and tor-tortured her. After that, we had all of the young students travel in groups. No one was to wander around alone. And if someone went missing, we'd gather up and help them.

"It was weeks before… before they took me. I knew they were using the younger students to bait me, try to get me to talk to them. It hurt, so much, to know that they were doing this because they wanted to see if Neville and I would snap. But then they took me, and asked me questions, how we were all communicating, why did the younger students start to travel in packs. And when I wouldn't answer them… they tortured me. I've never felt something so painful in my life."

Harry clung to Ginny, tears spilling out of his eyes. He kissed her neck, her shoulder, and her cheek, holding her tightly. She relaxed against him before continuing.

"Neville and I started stopping the Carrows from taking the younger kids."

Harry sat up and looked at Ginny carefully. She wasn't looking at him, almost like she wouldn't, and Harry felt his stomach drop.

"You took the curses for them, didn't you?" he asked, and her bottom lip began to tremble. She nodded her head and Harry felt his world fall apart.

"Oh, Ginny," he said, and she trembled.

"We had to do something. All of us older kids did, but they loved to grab Gryffindors. So we'd stop them. They were terrible… it was terrible," she choked out before her throat closed and she started to sob again. Her body was trembling and she clung to him tightly, biting back what seemed like screams. Harry twisted around her and pulled them back down onto the bed, holding her against his chest. She gripped the back of his shirt tightly and he heard her yell into him.

"I hate them," she sobbed against him, and Harry moved one of his hands to massage her scalp.

"I'm so sorry, Ginny," he whispered against her ear, trying to calm her, but it only made her cry harder.

"You sh-shouldn't be s-s-orry," she choked out, pushing back to look at him. Her face was red and puffy, covered in tears, and absolutely pained. He reached up and touched her cheek.

"I still do," he said, and she shook her head at him. Before she could speak again, he placed a finger on her lips.

"I know what you're going to say," he said, moving his hand back to her cheek, "and I don't. I know… probably better than most, that you can't take back what's already been done. But Ginny, I… need… to help you."

Ginny looked up at him, biting her bottom lip. She could see tear marks on his glasses, and the pain in his eyes had returned. But she knew it wasn't his.

"Ginevra," he said softly, and she looked up at him quickly. He'd never called her by her full name, hardly anyone did, and the sound of it leaving his lips sent a thrill up her spine. His eyes had darkened, and he was staring at her intensely.

"I _need_ to help you," he whispered, and she could hear something else in his voice. Slowly, she nodded and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. Her body was still trembling from the emotional release, but with Harry's arms wrapped tightly around her, Ginny felt anchored.

"We have to help each other," she whispered, and he nodded into her neck.

They stayed entwined on the bed until one of their stomachs (they couldn't disconcert which) made noise. Harry realized that it had been several hours since they'd eaten, and the sun was beginning to set again. He told Ginny to rest as he walked over to the chiller and pulled out some food. He eyed the porridge he hadn't finished and warmed it up easily. By the time he had a few sandwiches made, Ginny was sitting up in the bed, pulling her hair into a ponytail. Harry watched her for a moment, taking in how pale her skin looked, and the stress in her eyes.

"Here," he said, handing her the plate. She placed it gently on the bed and patted the spot next to her. He climbed in next to her, wrapping the blanket around both of their shoulders. She moved in closer to him, so her arm could rest on his crossed legs, and picked up a sandwich.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, and she frowned as she chewed.

"Okay," she said, and he nodded. He ate his porridge then, and she smiled at him.

"Hungry?" she said, a hint of humor in her eyes. He chuckled.

"It's been awhile since I last ate," he said, and she raised an eyebrow.

"You know, you had mum worried there. She thought you were going to waste away, how little you were eating," she said, and he sighed.

"I could tell," he said, and she gently reached out and touched his ribs.

"You were right when you said I'm trying to fatten you up," she joked, and his shoulders shook.

"Did-did you guys have enough to eat while you were travelling?" she asked, and Harry thought it over while he finished his spoonful of porridge.

"Sometimes," he began, placing his empty bowl down on the bed, "but I mean… it wasn't anything like your mothers cooking. Ron's kind of useless at non magical cooking, and after he left-"

"Wait!" Ginny sat up straighter, "Ronald _left_?"

"Yeah… kinda," Harry said, wincing, "it's kind of a long story."

"Isn't it all?" Ginny countered, and Harry stared at her for a moment. Gone were the traces of panic in her eyes, and replaced by it was that blazing look he loved. He reached up and cupped her face, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Yes," he whispered against her lips, kissing her again.

"You can't," he kissed her again, "distract me from – my question – with kisses."

He kissed her one last time before pushing her hair back from her face and smiling at her. Her cheeks were burning, but her face was set in stone.

"Fine," he said, grabbing her half-empty plate, stacking his bowl on it, and placing it all on the floor. He reached for her and pulled her into his arms, wrapping the blanket tighter around them.

"So, you remember the diary," he said, and she nodded.

"Well, that was a Horcrux."

And so he told her the story, from the time they left the wedding, to their return to Hogwarts. At times, he whispered it into her ear, reliving something particularly horrifying, or he laughed, not because it was funny, but because the pain in his chest was too much. And she held him, eventually turning in his arms to pull his head to her shoulder and lay down, letting him cuddle against her side and mumble the story against her collarbone.

He stopped at the Room of Requirements, stopped before he got to the forest.

"Would you believe that it took Ron showing compassion for house elves for Hermione to snog him?"

Ginny laughed at that, the tears in her eyes falling as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"She told me about that, she was quite happy," she said, and Harry nodded.

"She deserves it. They both do," he said, absentmindedly playing with a strand of her hair.

"You deserve to be happy too," she reminded him.

He twisted the strand of her hair around his finger, ignoring the glare she shot him.

(…)

"AH-HA!"

The occupants of the kitchen were startled as Bill's cry of triumph rang down the stairs. Hermione and Ron rushed up to him, leaving the Grangers and Molly to sit and stare at their suddenly empty chairs.

"Did you get it?" Ron yelled as they came to the landing, Bill crouched in front of the door. He looked up at them with wide, gleeful eyes.

"Yes, I think so," he said, pointing to the illusion of runes in front of the door. Hermione bent forward and studied them, her brows coming together.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked, sounding skeptical. Bill stood up, fixing his pants as he did.

"Well, I have organized the spells and jinxes and I finally got past that large knot that was liable to blow apart the landing here, and I think I've finally gotten us inside."

Ron smiled at his brother, but Hermione looked concerned.

"Did you figure out why only Ginny could enter?" she asked, and Bill touched his chin.

"Well," he began and Ron sighed.

"You know that's the only thing Hermione wants to know," Ron said, and Bill laughed as Hermione began to read the runes again.

"Look, I have a couple theories," he said, and Hermione perked up.

"Theories are a start," she said, moving to stand next to Ron, smiling up at him. Ron rolled his eyes at Bill.

"Well, there's the one I explained to Ginny, where wards are created and recognize magical signatures. But that would only work as well as this if Harry used her wand, thereby using the strongest magical signature," Bill explained, and Hermione nodded. Ron listened carefully, his arm moving up to pull Hermione into his side.

"The last two are… well, they're entwined," Bill began, "and it all stems from the same idea. Ginny came and asked me about shared dreams, and how she thought she had a dream connected to Harry. I had, jokingly, said that if two people shared a strong enough connection, it could occur. She told me she'd learned a bit of occulmency, and that she was going to try to find the dream."

"What does all of this have to do with the door?" Hermione said impatiently, and Ron gently brought his hand up to cover her mouth.

"Patience," he said, and she huffed at him. Bill smiled.

"Well, there's the idea that Harry didn't know he'd wrapped Ginny up in this. That, somewhere in his head, he wanted her to be able to come through the wards, but it wasn't a conscious thought. The other…" Bill pursed his lips, "suppose I were to create a barrier around myself, but only wanted Fleur to come through. Even as an unconscious decision, a person's magic knows… knows what the person wants…" he trailed off, meeting Ron's eyes. Hermione was staring at the door.

"So what you're saying," Ron said, interrupting any thoughts Hermione had, "is that… Ginny could get in, because Harry wanted her to… because he-"

"He loves her," Hermione said simply, and the two men looked at her. She rolled her eyes, pointing to the door.

"Look, I know Harry and Ginny. They're my best friends. And I'm not going to tiptoe around the fact that Harry's absolutely in love with your sister, just like I won't tiptoe around the fact that your sister is absolutely in love with your best friend," she directed it at Ron, but Bill could feel the threat in her words.

"I…" Ron looked at Hermione, "I wasn't going to tiptoe around it, it's just… it wasn't you or I?"

Hermione looked at Ron, and then at Bill.

"You know Harry," Bill said quietly, "he wanted you two to go off and find your parents and have some time and be happy. Of all the things he wants, he wants the people he loves to be happy. And you two are happy… together," Bill finished, looking at the door.

"Harry… I suppose he's happiest with Ginny," he said, a smile coming to his face. Ron nodded.

"I daresay I've never seen either of them happier than when they were together," Ron added, and Hermione looked close to tears.

"So, Harry sort've did this on purpose," Ron said, and Hermione shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not, but I think it's quite lucky that she's the one to go off and find him," she said, and Bill nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to want to know how she did it, though," Hermione said.

"If Harry, of his own doing or unconsciously, allowed Ginny to enter his room, tracking him across the world was probably easy. You know the story of the red string of fate?" Bill asked Hermione, and she nodded.

"It's much like the idea of soul mates…" she trailed off, Ron nodding beside her.

"Okay, that's enough now," Ron said, and Hermione smacked his chest.

"It's romantic!" she said, turning on her heel and stomping down the stairs. Ron rolled his eyes towards Bill and followed his girlfriend down the stairs.

"I have the emotional range of a teaspoon, remember?"

* * *

**A/N: **let's have a round of applause to me for dragging my butt up off the living room floor to post this, because it is hot and humid and I'm just lazy.

and another round of applause because this chapter is another favorite, and really just most of them are coming up so... that stuff.

Remember to review!

-Izzy


	9. Treacherous

**Title:** I Know Places  
**Chapter: **Treacherous  
**Author:** dizzy - in - the - izzy  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever, made money off the things I post on this site.  
**Summary: **A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.

**READ: **This chapter contains major PTSD, survivors guilt, death mentions, and suicidal themes.

* * *

_All we are is skin and bone, trained to get along_  
_Forever going with the flow, but you're friction._

It was early the next morning, with the birds just beginning to chirp and the sun was making itself know, when Ginny found herself staring at Harry's chest.

She hadn't taken the time before, to look at his scars. The newest one was across his chest, another reminder that he had, yet again, survived a killing curse. But there were more, so many more, along his arms, legs, torso. She knew that scars marred her body as well, but it was easier to disregard those.

"Stop staring," Harry mumbled, reaching up for his glasses. He blinked at her as she came into focus, hovering over him in the morning sunlight. She rolled her eyes at him, placing her palm against his chest. He looked down at the contrast of their skin, her pale skin against his darker, harrier chest. It made him smile.

"I was looking at your scars," she said quietly, and he bit his bottom lip.

"They're quite a sight, huh?" he asked, and she nodded. She bent down quickly and placed a soft kiss on his chest. He blushed.

"You have a couple yourself," he whispered, pushing back her shirtsleeve to look at her biceps. He could see whiter lines, jagged and small. She pushed him away.

"Ginny," he groaned, a warning in his voice. She glared at him.

"We aren't talking about my scars," she said.

"We aren't talking about my scars either," he countered, and she huffed.

"Besides," he mused, "I wasn't looking at your scars in the shower."

"Yeah, you were too busy looking at my face. What kind of a boy-," she said, and he nudged her so he could sit up.

"Well, you had a good peek," he replied, and she didn't even blush. She looked down at her arms, which had minimal scars, and sighed.

Slowly, she reached down and pulled the shirt up and over her head. The cool air hit her bare back and chest, but her hair fell back down and covered her breasts. Harry was staring at her now, his attention on her collarbone. He looked at her in wonder a moment before his eyes caught sight of the first line, across her ribs.

"How?" he asked, reaching over and touching her. His fingers were much rougher than she'd expected, and she shivered.

"A cutting curse. I wasn't able to get medical attention fast enough, and it started to scab," she said, and he nodded. He moved his fingers along her ribs to her hips, and then across her midriff. He stopped at her belly button for a moment, a ghost of a smile crossing his face, before he moved to her other side.

She moved her arm as he found the other scar, on the side of her boob, almost completely covered by her arm. He used one hand to gently hold her breast, moving it aside so he could trace this scar with his other hand. She could feel something surging inside of her.

"That one was… not magical," she said, and he looked at her.

"What?"

"That one was from a knife, a regular old knife. A poor Ravenclaw was under Imperius, came up to me, and jammed it into me there. Lots of people thought it was the Carrows, which was probably true. They denied it and said she had gone mad. We didn't see her much after that…" she trailed off, her mind wandering. She jumped when she felt Harry place his lips against the scar.

"I'm sorry," he said, and she didn't argue with him. She knew he wasn't taking any blame, or wishing he could have been there. He was truly sorry, sorry that she'd dealt with that, sorry she'd taken the role he felt he needed to fill. It was more of an omission of compassion, and it stirred something.

Carefully, she pulled his head up and rested her forehead against his. She shut her eyes and held him there, measuring the length of their breaths.

"Promise me something, Harry?"

He moved his hands up her side, his thumbs passing over her breasts. She bit her lip.

"Anything," he whispered, his hands moving out from under her arms, up her front, over her collarbone, and to her neck. Their foreheads still touched.

"Promise me that we, you and me, will be home by your birthday."

He opened his eyes and stared into hers, searching.

"Home?" he said, and she nodded.

"Home. The Burrow," she replied, and his eyes softened.

"Hogwarts was always my home," he mumbled, and she leaned into him, placing a kiss on the side of his mouth.

"Hogwarts will always be your home, but you know The Burrow will be as well," she seemed to breathe, and Harry smiled.

"Okay. I promise we'll be home by my birthday," he said, running his hands down her bare arms to take her hands. She shivered.

"Good," she said, beginning to move away, but he stopped her carefully. His hands moved to cup her breasts, his face moved into her neck, and she felt the pit of her stomach erupt in flames.

"Harry," she breathed as he kissed down her neck, across her collarbone, and to her breasts. He pushed her back on the bed, holding her still as he lavished her body in affection, finally moving up to kiss her face. His eyes were full of desire. Her breath caught in her throat.

She bent her head back and kissed his forehead. Her lips came into contact with his scar, _the scar_, and he moaned quietly.

"Lay down," she said quietly, and he rolled over to lie next to her. She pushed him easily, so he was facing away from her. She curled up against his back, pressing her chest flush against him. She heard his intake of breath as she wrapped her arms around his torso. He pulled the blankets up over their bare torsos and melted into her arms.

"Ginny," he said softly, and she hummed against his back.

"I…" he trailed off, and she gently massaged his chest. He let out a long sigh.

"I've missed this," he whispered, and she bit back a smile.

"Missed this?" she asked, a hint of mirth in her voice. He chuckled.

"Being like… this, with you," he admitted, and she could practically feel his cheeks burning.

"How romantic," she said, and he pinched a spot on her arm.

"I mean it. This… this feeling… being close," he paused, and she kissed his back.

"I know what you mean," she replied, and he pulled her hand up his mouth to kiss it.

"I'm glad you came, to find me," his voice sounded guilty, and Ginny squeezed him.

"Did you doubt I wouldn't? I was the only one who could get into your bedroom, you know."

He was silent then, and she waited. She'd wanted to hear why he'd done it, explain the red wrapped up in his spells.

"You were?"

It wasn't the words she expected.

"Yes, I mean… didn't you know that?" she asked, and he turned to look at her over his shoulder.

"I – no?"

"Bill is going to hurt you," she said, and he squinted at her.

"I was the only one who could get into your room. Bill, Charlie; they couldn't even touch the door. I walked right though those wards… just like I walked through the wards here…"

He ran his thumb over her arm.

"I… I hadn't even thought about that."

"Well, think about it. Bill will chew you out when we get home," she said, and he huffed.

"Great."

(…)

Ginny stared down at the chill box, her brow furrowed. Harry was outside, following her instructions to get some sun. He'd dragged his feet, thrown her an annoyed look, before he had walked out of the tent and laid down unceremoniously on the grass. With him out of the tent, she had started cleaning.

After making the bed, organizing their possessions, and scrubbing the kitchen table, she had come to the chill box. When she'd opened it, her stomach had tumbled. Her mother would have a fit if she saw the state of the food they were supposed to eat.

She summoned a notepad and a pen she'd taken from the Ministry offices and began to write a list.

Harry needed new clothes. He was swimming in the clothes he owned presently, and she had seen holes and blood stains on a pair of his jeans. She couldn't think of the last time she had seen him in decent new clothing. They also needed more food, which was Ginny's first priority. Looking at the dirty fire pit, she thought about their options.

She still had the map from the office in Cheyenne, so she sat down at the table to examine them. The community was set up much like Diagon Alley, with shops up and down the few roads, all orientated around the Ministry building. She thought about her needs, and a couple stores began to glow. She wrote down the names, planning the easiest way in her head.

"What's all this?"

She looked up at Harry's voice, his eyes on the maps on the table. She smiled, patting chair next to her.

"Well, we need some things, if we're not going home anytime soon," she said, pointing to the list she'd started. He looked it over, and then at the maps.

"Cheyenne?" he said, and she nodded.

"It was explained that each state has its own wizarding community, each centered on the Capitol of the state. It's much like Diagon Alley, the one in New York was spectacular," she said, pushing that map towards him. He didn't look at it, or indicate that he saw it. His eyes were stuck on the map of Cheyenne.

"This map has some places we can go, to buy food and some new clothes for you," she said, eyeing the shirt he wore. He lifted it off his body, frowning at her.

"What's wrong with my shirt?" he asked, and Ginny sighed.

"I can tell it's… seen better days, Harry. Besides, wearing clothes three sizes too big and full of holes isn't exactly a good thing," she said, and he huffed at her.

"Fine," he replied, and she reached up to touch his neck. He leaned into her touch.

"If you're worried, I can cast a few glamour charms on you, maybe hide your scar," she said, and he half shrugged.

"I suppose," he said, and she smiled.

It took a bit, but eventually she was able to hide his scar and make his hair sit flatter than usual. The sun was beginning to set, so she shoved a sweater at him as they got ready to leave the tent. Ginny checked her pouch multiple times before finally following Harry out into the trees. He took her hand as they stepped out of the wards.

"Do you want to take us?" he asked, and she nodded. She put the map in her jacket pocket, stepped closer to Harry, and they disappeared.

_POP!_

They reappeared on a side street, away from any people. Ginny quickly pulled the map from her pocket and stared at it, thinking about the place she needed to be. Harry had moved closer to her, his eyes watching the people move past the end of the street.

"Come, we'll need to exchange some money first," she said, taking his hand gently. She waited for him to look at her, his eyes slightly wide, before she pulled him out onto the main road.

It was not as busy as New York, or London. Ginny was thankful for that. She supposed, since Wyoming wasn't a highly populated state, the number of magical people was small. Still, there were families walking in the middle of the empty street, kids running ahead as they went from store to store. She turned her head as she heard animals, her eyes finding the pet shop. Harry seemed to move even closer, his arm wrapping around her shoulders. She leaned into him, moving them along the sidewalk.

When they reached the bank at the end of the block, they were both pleasantly surprised that it too was run by goblins. Ginny waited to be waved over to a teller before proceeding, pulling Harry with her.

"Hello, I'm Frederick. How may I help you today?" the goblin asked, and Ginny smiled.

"I need to exchange British currency," she said, and Frederick nodded. He waited as she placed the coins and notes on the counter. She saw his eyes flicker between her and Harry, his eyes spending a particularly long moment on Harry's forehead. She cleared her throat loudly.

"Okay, here it is," she said, and Frederick began counting the money. He nodded as he began pulling out American bills.

"Will you need to be making any withdrawals?" he asked, and Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"We can do that, even though our bank is in London?" she asked, and Frederick nodded.

"We have the ability to do such thing, with a couple signatures, I assume you are both of age?" he asked, and Ginny nodded. She looked up at Harry, who seemed to be chewing his bottom lip.

"Do we need any more money?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"I think we'll be fine," he said, and Frederick nodded.

"Well, I assume you understand American currency?" he asked, smiling when they both nodded.

"Excellent. All shops here accept this currency, so you should be set. Is that all for today?" he asked, and Ginny nodded. She took the money off the counter and stashed it away in her pouch.

"Yes, thank you Frederick," she said, and the goblin looked at them carefully. He bowed his head slightly.

"No, thank you," he said, and Ginny felt Harry stiffen slightly. But then the goblin went back to his busy work, and Ginny was able to pull Harry back out the door again. She ignored his face as she pulled out the map.

"How about some clothes?" she said, watching as the map showed her some shops. She decided on one and pulled Harry along.

The clothes shop was mostly empty, and run by an older couple who minded their own business. Ginny was able to find a pile of shirts that Harry grunted in approval of, and then had him trying on new jeans. He tried to look annoyed with her, but she could see a smile on his lips as he found pairs that actually fit. As they walked up to pay, Harry stopped her.

"You don't want anything?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"My wardrobe is fine," she said, but his eyes were lingering on the jumpers. She followed his gaze, and she saw a dark blue pull over hanging on a rack. She looked up at him, and he nodded towards it.

"You want me to get that?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"It'd look good on you," he said, and she rolled her eyes.

"Okay, grab it," she said, and he quickly moved to grab it. He met her at the checkout, a little bit of a smile in his eyes.

They paid without much fanfare, Harry keeping his eyes down as Ginny did most of the talking. Ginny was able to ascertain the best place to buy groceries before they slipped out of the shop back onto the street. Ginny shrunk their bags and stashed them away in her pouch, taking Harry's hand and moving them down the street again.

The clothes shop owner had told them about a grocer that was open rather late, and would give them time to do their shopping, but it was on towards the edge of the area. The walk down the street was quiet, as the area was less crowded. Even before she could see the store, she could smell it. Her stomach growled.

"It smells like pastries," Harry said, and Ginny grinned.

"Brilliant."

(…)

Arthur Weasley walked into the kitchen apprehensively. He had heard some shouting, all the way from his shed. The voices were hard to make out, so he'd carefully put down what he was working on and made his way inside.

"This isn't something we can quite control without making it worse, Ron!"

Hermione was standing by sink, hands on her hips, staring at Ron. He was across the room, the paper in his hands. Molly was off to the side, her face white. Rose and Jack were off in the living room, which was probably for the best.

"There has to be something that Percy or Kingsley can do about this, Hermione! This can't keep going on!"

"What is going on in here?" Arthur raised his voice, and the room turned to look at him. Molly widened her eyes, Hermione crossed her arms, and Ron waved the paper at him.

"Someone's posted more about Harry," Ron said, walking over to show the paper to his father. Hermione stalked over as well, her face set in stone.

"Ronald thinks it would be best to actually make a statement, try to tell people off," she spat, and Ron turned to her.

"Look, what could it hurt?"

"It could hurt Harry! We don't even know what's going on!"

"And neither does the press! We could give them false information!"

"Kids!" Arthur yelled over them, and they turned to him. Both of their faces were red with anger, and Hermione looked on the verge of crying. Molly walked up to them, putting an arm around Hermione.

"Look, it's in our best interest if we leave it alone," Arthur said, and Ron balked.

"They're going to keep making shit up!" he replied, and Hermione looked ready to pounce. Arthur held up his hand.

"I know that, but if we at all draw attention to this, it will become worse!" he said, and Ron bit his lip.

"However, we need to see if there is something Percy can do, lead them away from the story," Arthur finished, and Ron looked ready to stick his tongue out at Hermione. She closed her eyes slowly.

"I just wish we knew," she whispered softly, tears beginning to spill onto her cheeks. Ron's face fell and he moved to her, quickly wrapping her up in a hug as she started to cry. All traces of their argument vanished as Ron rubbed her back, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Me too," he mumbled, and Arthur looked at the paper in his hands.

**Potter in America? Sources spot Ginny Weasley in New York on the hunt for the Boy Who Lived.  
Has he lost his way?**

(…)

Ginny watched as the cashier totaled up their items. Harry was standing behind her, his hand on her waist, eyes roaming the area. She could feel his tension and carefully leaned into him. The cashier's eyes flickered between them.

"That'll be twenty three, seventy two."

Ginny carefully counted out the money and handed it over, glancing at Harry as she did. He was staring at a newspaper rack off to the side. Ginny could see the Prophet there. She swallowed thickly.

"Harry," she whispered, but he was already walking over to the stand, picking up a paper.

"Here's your change," the cashier handed Ginny a bunch of coins, and she quickly shoved them in her pocket, grabbed their bags, and moved over to Harry.

His eyes were glued to the front page, and his hands were beginning to shake. Ginny swore under her breath as she shrunk the groceries and shoved them into her pouch.

"Harry," she hissed, and he looked at her. His eyes were wide. He handed her the paper.

There, on the front cover, was a picture of her walking down the street in New York. Ginny could tell it was from when she'd first arrived, as she was holding the map in her hand and her hair wasn't a mess. Below it was another picture of her walking into the Ministry there.

"It's okay, it was only in New York and-"

Ginny was cut off as one of the store clerks walked over to them, his voice loud.

"Hey! You're in the Prophet!" he said, eyeing Ginny carefully. She grabbed Harry's hand, worried he'd disappear on the spot.

"No, I think you-"

"Nah, I saw you there! You're looking for…" the main trailed off, his eyes widening as he looked at Harry.

"Shit, you're Harry Potter!" he nearly yelled, and Ginny felt Harry jump.

"Anne, look, it's Harry Potter! He's the kid who stopped Voldemort," the man waved at another employee, and Ginny began to pull Harry away.

"No, you have us mistaken," Ginny said hurriedly, Harry's hand beginning to shake. He looked at her with wide eyes, and Ginny was scared of the panic there. She wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him towards the exit.

"Wait! The paper says you disappeared! Says people should be on the lookout for you!"

Ginny picked up her pace and pulled Harry back out into the street. People were looking at them as they moved away from the store, the man following them outside, still yelling.

"You're Harry Potter!"

Ginny felt herself begin to panic, and on instinct, she gripped her wand, pulled Harry closer, and turned on the spot.

They reappeared outside their camp, and Ginny pulled Harry into the tent as quickly as she could. His whole body was shaking now, his eyes wide and unblinking.

"Harry, Harry I need you to talk to me," Ginny said, pulling him to the bed and making him sit down. He didn't look at her.

"Harry," she whispered, holding his face gently. He was still shaking.

"I can't get away," he mumbled, his eyes snapping to look up at her. She rubbed her thumbs over his cheeks.

"Yes, you can, you're okay," she said, but he wasn't listening. He moved suddenly, and she jumped back as he stood. He began pacing the room.

"On the lookout for me? Like I'm some bloody wanted criminal again?" he yelled, turning to look at her.

"Like I'm a wanted man by the Ministry again? What am I supposed to do? Turn myself in?! Walk on into the Prophet and announce my arrival like royalty, as if I'm here for the taking, hello! I don't want this, any of this attention. I want everyone to leave me ALONE!"

He turned towards her, his hands in his hair. He let out a ragged breath.

"No you don't! Being alone isn't going to solve any of your problems," Ginny snapped at him, and he sighed heavily.

"Yeah well, being around people isn't helping them either! I never wanted this, I don't want this, I don't care about everyone else right now. I don't WANT to care about everyone else right now! Everyone else is FINE, while I'm over here like a useless git!"

His voice was rising, and Ginny stomped her foot.

"No, you're not!" she yelled back, and he stopped moving. He turned to look at her, his eyes narrowed.

"What am I then? Ginny, people died because of me-"

"No, they died because of Voldemort!"

"_BECAUSE OF ME_! Because of the prophecy! Tell me that isn't true! Tell me that my mum and dad, their parents, that Sirius and Lupin, or Tonks and Fred and Cedric or Dumbledore: tell me that they aren't dead because of me! Tell me that Hedwig or Dobby didn't die because of me," his voice cracked, and tears started streaming down his face. Ginny moved towards him, but he held up his hands to stop her.

"Harry-"

"You know, Ginny… sometimes I wish that I had died, because-"

"_NO_!" Ginny yelled, pushing past his hands and gripping his shirt.

"No. Don't you _dare_ say that. Don't you _dare_ tell me that you wish you had _died_. The war would've raged on. More people would have died, people who love you and care about you. Don't you even _think_ of telling me that it would've been easier for the rest of us. That's a line of fucking bullshit, and you know it," she gripped his shirt tighter, pulling him closer to her. She stood on her tiptoes to press her forehead to his.

"None of this is your fault. It never will be, and it never was. No one can ever blame you for what happened, because you were a _child_, a child who had this thrust upon him. So don't tell me you're to blame for all of this destruction, and death, and hurt… when you didn't want it, and everyone knows it. And if people think you wanted this… they don't fucking matter."

She let out a slow breath, relaxing her grip. His hands came up to hold her biceps. She couldn't tell if the tears on her face were hers or his.

"The people who matter don't blame you. We love you, and want to help you, Harry. Mum and dad, Ron and Hermione, Bill and Charlie and Percy and George and Fleur, everyone who fought in the battle… Those who died, didn't die in vain. Please, _please,_ don't say y-you wish you were d-dead," she gasped, and Harry wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his arms, tucking her head in his neck. He lifted her up off the ground and held her there, their bodies shaking.

"If you had died, the rest of us would have too. If not physically, then emotionally. You lived because you have love, and you have a life to lead," she whispered, clinging to him tightly. She felt him move, and soon he was lying back on the bed, bringing her with him.

"What kind of life can I lead? My destiny was written before I was born. I was marked before I could talk. What do I do now?" he asked, and Ginny pushed herself up to lean on her elbow and gaze down at him.

"You come home and let people take care of you."

He gazed up at her, his eyes glassy.

"And you don't forget that you're a godfather."

The statement hit him hard in the chest, and a new sort of panic set in. But, before he could start to verbalize it, Ginny was kissing him. She was kissing him with a sense of urgency, a feeling of hope, and her hand moved to his face and she was holding him as she moved her lips over his. He reached up and held her waist as she moved from his mouth to his cheeks, his forehead, his chin, neck and finally his nose.

"Teddy will need you soon. But for now, it's all about you," she whispered, placing another kiss on his lips. He let out a strangled sob, and Ginny moved up the bed so she could cradle his head to her chest.

"You are so loved Harry," she whispered as he clung to her, his face pressed against her chest.

* * *

**A/N: **SORRY IT'S WEDNESDAY! I have no excuse other than I'm kind of forgetful and work a lot.

This chapter hurt my heart to write, because Harry James Potter is such a precious individual, I feel the need to protect him at all costs. And I knew I had to write something like this, that this would happen to him, so it hurt to write. Painful, so painful.

Also, it's Hinny week over on Tumblr! You can find a link to my tumblr on my page, and I've got little drabbles/fics all over the place to read, so head on over, enjoy the massive amount of Harry/Ginny love!

Reviews are encouraged!

-Izzy


	10. Green Eyes

**Title:** I Know Places  
**Chapter: **Green Eyes  
**Author:** dizzy - in - the - izzy  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever, made money off the things I post on this site.  
**Summary: **A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.

**READ: **This chapter contains physical abuse, death mentions, PTSD, and violent flashbacks.

* * *

_I came here with a load, _  
_and it feels so much lighter now I've met you_

"Is that an owl?"

Bill looked up at his mother's voice, searching the horizon. He could see a (rather large) brown owl swooping through the air, coming towards the house. Bill opened the kitchen window and stepped back as the owl flew inside, landing with a rather loud thud on the table.

"Where did he come from?" Molly said as Bill took the letter from the owls' leg, pointing it towards the water and food bowls. The owl hopped off the table as Bill opened the letter.

"It's from America, from Ginny!" he said, looking at the owl.

"How did that bird make it that far?" Hermione said as she ran in from the living room, Ron following close behind her. She moved to the owl, fretting over it. The owl hooted at her, looking irritated.

"It probably apparated," Arthur mumbled as he walked over to Bill, and Hermione twirled around.

"It apparated?!"

"'Mione, there's a letter," Ron said, drawing her attention in. Hermione hopped over to him, waiting as Bill unfolded the letter. Rose and Jack moved into the room, standing near Molly.

_Hello… everyone, _

_Harry is doing… okay. When we went out to buy food, someone recognized me, from the Prophet. They posted my picture in there, and the store clerk figured out who Harry and I were. Harry had a… panic attack, of sorts. The attention overwhelms him, and while I want to bring him home now, I think we'll be staying here for awhile. I made him promise me that we'll be home by his birthday, hopefully before. _

_I'll try to send you another letter before we head home, but for now, we're still here. _

_I love you all. _

_Harry does too. _

_-Ginny_

Bill folded the letter back up, looking around the room. Everyone had a look of relief to them, and Ron locked eyes with his brother.

"Well… I suppose we knew the attention was too much for him," Ron said suddenly, and Hermione nodded eagerly.

"Yes, it was hard enough to get him to attend the funerals, he would start to look panicked," she added, and Molly sighed heavily.

"He's been the center of attention for years, the poor boy," she said mournfully, and Rose bit her lip.

"He's probably absolutely exhausted," she mumbled, and Hermione looked at her mother. They shared a look.

"Well," Arthur drew the room's attention back in, "all we can do is wait."

(…)

A week had passed since their outing into Cheyenne. In that span of time, Harry had managed to eat an entire plate of food in a day, spent a little more time outside (but within the safety of the wards), and was generally looking better. It was the small victories, to Ginny, that made her feel better. She knew that Harry was keeping as close an eye on her as she was him, and while at times she hated it, she knew it was helping him.

She had taken the time to explain how she pushed past the shaking from curse damage. They had sat outside, in the sunshine, and she had explained the breathing method to him. She said it was something her mother had picked up, and it was a way to calm the body.

"It looks like rain."

Ginny looked at the clouds overhead as she sat on the grass next to Harry. They had spent the morning outside the tent, leaning against each other, and doing some meditating. It had been Harry's idea, to use the breathing technique to meditate, and Ginny had jumped on it.

"The tent is water proof, right?" she asked, and Harry thought for a moment.

"If not, we can just cast a couple spells," he said, and Ginny nodded. She moved to stand up, offering her hand to help Harry to his feet. He stood next to her, his eyes lingering on her face. She smiled up at him, and he quickly bent down to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer. She felt something erupt in her stomach as his hands moved over her body.

"We should get inside," she mumbled as he pulled back, and he looked into her eyes. There was a passion in his eyes that she had seen more and more of since she'd arrived.

"I suppose," he said, slipping his arm down her body and lifting her up, carrying her into the tent. She only protested a little, but wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed his jaw line.

"You know, you're lucky I didn't struggle to get out of your arms," she said, and he grinned.

"I know," he replied as he placed her down onto the bed. She moved over so he could make his way down next to her, both kicking their shoes off. She could hear thunder in the distance, and saw Harry flinch.

It amazed her, the little things that seemed to scare him.

"Are you going to be okay?" she whispered, and he moved closer to her. She didn't take that as a good sign, and she moved her hands up into his hair.

"I have never liked thunder," he mumbled, and Ginny massaged his neck.

"Why?"

He thought for a moment, his breath fanning across the top of her head. He moved one of his hands up under her shirt, his fingers dancing across her skin.

"When I was a kid, at the Dursley's, I never liked it. It was something that probably started when I was a baby. It scared me, and Vernon would… yell at me… when I cried…" he said slowly, and Ginny swallowed the lump in her throat.

"That's… terrible," she whispered, and the hand under her shirt gripped her side.

"They weren't very fond of me," he said, and Ginny pulled back to look at him. Her eyes were hard, almost angry.

"Did they ever hug you, as a child?" she asked, and he didn't answer. He looked away from her, and she could see guilt filling his eyes. She moved up on the bed and moved his chin to look into his eyes.

"Harry, I want you to answer me," she said, and he sighed heavily.

"What do you think?" he snapped as more thunder rolled, tensing at the sound.

"I want you to say it, aloud," she said, ignoring the tone he took. He huffed.

"No, they never, ever did."

Ginny watched his face as he spoke, seeing every emotion flash across his features. She pushed on him, rolling over him to the edge of the bed, standing up. She motioned for him to sit up, and he begrudgingly moved to the edge of the bed, swinging his legs over. He looked up at her, his jaw set.

She was taller than him this way, and it made pulling him into her arms easier. She wrapped herself around him, easily moving to straddle him. He didn't respond at first, waiting until she was done wrapping herself around him to bring his arms up and hold her, carefully.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she whispered, rubbing the back of his scalp, where his hair met his neck. He shivered.

"It's okay," he mumbled, and she huffed.

"No, it's not."

He gripped her tighter, burying his face in her neck. He could feel her breathing, the slow rhythm moving against his chest. He focused on the feeling of Ginny, the real feeling of her arms, the smell of her hair, and the comfort of her embrace, as another clap of thunder filled the air. He fought the urge to jump, relaxing his face and shoulders. The feeling of her hand on his neck sent comfort and warmth through his body.

"Better?" she asked, and Harry could only nod. He could feel tears in his eyes.

"You…" he trailed off. His voice was strained, and he was tensing up. She kissed the side of his head.

"You feel… wonderful," he mumbled, and she smiled.

"I know what you mean," she whispered.

They stayed like that, wrapped around each other, as the thunder moved in, and lightening lit up the sky. It didn't take long for the rain to begin, and it pounded the tent with intensity. Harry froze at how loud the thunder became, and Ginny carefully casted a silencing charm within the tent. It wasn't good for the reverberations of the thunder, which Harry felt. Each time he stiffened, Ginny applied pressure to his scalp, massaging the stress away. It didn't take long for him to become heavy, his body beginning to teeter. She rocked forward and he fell to the bed, taking her with him. She disentangled herself, but quickly moved right back next to him.

It was a painstaking process, his recovery. It was hers as well, the process of accepting what had happened. She had pulled from her experiences after the Chamber, and the coping mechanisms that she'd picked up from her mother.

Teaching Harry how to handle the symptoms was one thing.

Beginning the process of accepting why was another story.

(…)

Hermione sat on the couch, Ron's head in her lap. She was playing with his hair as she read. She had picked up a book on PTSD from a muggle bookshop, one her parents had recommended. They had encouraged her to read about it, understand it better. She had relayed important bits to Ron, pointed out symptoms they exhibited. He hummed in response, his eyes never opening as she kept up her gentle ministrations.

"Ron, do you have dreams about it?"

He shifted to look up at her, his eyes soft.

"Which part?" he asked, and Hermione shrugged.

"Any part, really," she replied, and he pursed his lips as he thought.

"Sometimes," he looked back across the room, "I can hear… I can hear Bellatrix torturing you."

Hermione sucked in a sharp breath, all too aware of the scar on her arm.

"It... it's painful, to remember. It haunts me, when I have nightmares about everything. I can feel the panic, feel the… need to stop her. But I'm useless, as I was then," he admitted, his voice small. Hermione pushed his head and body up, moving to sit with her legs across his lap.

She was surprised to see tears in his eyes.

"You were not useless," she said quietly, and Ron bit his lip.

"I know but that doesn't change how I felt," he replied, and Hermione nodded.

"You haven't left my side since," she offered, and he nodded.

"I don't think I could," he said with a smile, and Hermione blushed.

"That's sweet," she leaned up to kiss his cheek, but he turned his head and caught her lips. She smiled as his hand cupped her face.

"Do you have nightmares?" he whispered as they broke apart, and she shook.

"I have dreams… about after you left."

Ron nodded, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He could feel the guilt in his chest.

"I'm-"

"No, I don't want to hear it. I know. Don't feel guilty about it," she insisted, and Ron stared at her face.

"It'll be awhile before that feeling goes away," he said, and she nodded.

"But I don't blame you, or resent you for it. It's just… every now and then, I can… feel the panic, despair… it wakes me up," she mumbled, and Ron kissed her temple.

"Wake me up when it happens. I'll be there," he said, emphasizing his words with a soft kiss to her forehead. She smiled, the tears in her eyes spilling over at the tenderness of the embrace and his words.

"Thank you," she whispered, and he nodded.

"It's no trouble, at all."

(…)

When Harry woke, many hours later, he reached across the bed for Ginny. When his hands met cold sheets, an empty bed, he sat up in a panic. She wasn't anywhere in the tent, and as he shoved his shoes on, he tried to focus on his breathing. He exited the tent quickly and searched the area, looking for her hair. He moved into the opening, his panic rising.

He saw a flash of red near the lakes edge, and he ran down towards it, relief flooding his system as he saw Ginny throwing rocks at the water. She looked up as he rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

"I didn't… I didn't know where you were, I don't – I panicked," he rushed, and she wrapped an arm around him.

"I'm sorry, I should have thought," she said, and it was then that Harry realized her eyes were red. He turned her face to him, and he saw the tear stains on her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and she shook her head. She looked back across the lake, her eyes glazing over.

"I hadn't had many nightmares since… since I told you about the Carrows. I mean, intense nightmares. The kind that make me shake, trigger my spell damage."

Harry nodded, running his fingers up and down her arm.

"Well, I…" she trailed off, looking up at him. Her face was thoughtful.

"I wish I could show you," she mumbled, and Harry nodded.

"I know what you mean," he said softly, pulling on her arm.

"Let's go back to the tent, please," he whispered, and she nodded. She followed his lead, her mind racing as he maneuvered them up the bank and back to their tent. As they walked through the wards, and Ginny felt the magic around her, the idea hit her.

"I _can_ show you!" she exclaimed, looking at Harry. His tired eyes stared at her in confusion.

"What?"

"Harry, we can use magic," she said, pulling him into the tent. He stopped just inside.

"What?" he repeated and she rolled her eyes.

"Last year, Neville and I… we kind of taught ourselves occulmency, taught ourselves how to fight the Carrows mentally, and I still know enough, I bet I could show you," she rushed out, pushing the blankets aside on the bed and sitting down, pointing to the spot across from her. He moved and sat down, crossing his legs easily.

"You… you want me to use legilimency on you?" he asked, and she nodded.

"McGonagall helped Neville and I organize our minds, we found ways to confuse the Carrows as they tried to search our minds. I… I think I can pull up a memory to share with you," she said hesitantly, and he pursed his lips.

"Are you sure you-we can handle this?" he stared right into her eyes, and she nodded. She reached across the bed and took his hand, giving it a squeeze.

"We have each other," she whispered, and Harry smiled.

"Okay," he said, pulling out his wand. He watched as she shut her eyes and her face went blank, her lips parting slightly. It was awhile before Ginny seemed to nod, just barely, and Harry quietly mumbled the spell.

(…)

"_Leave him alone!"_

_Ginny walked in front of the small Hufflepuff, glaring right at Alecto. The two women stared at each other, before Alecto smiled. _

"_So, I see that the Weasley wants to be the hero," Alecto purred, and Ginny stuck out her chin. _

"_You will leave him alone," she said, her voice wavering. Alecto smirked. _

"_Fine, but you're coming with me."_

_Ginny held back a scream as ropes shot at her, binding her up and pulling her towards the female Carrow. She could hear the other students protesting, screaming practically, but they were suddenly quiet as someone else entered the hallway. _

"_You will return to your common rooms now," Amycus said as he walked over to his sister, grinning at Ginny. _

"_You've caught a Weasley," he said, and Alecto nodded happily. _

"_I sure have."_

_Ginny was dragged down the hallways, her head bouncing upon the floor as she went. She could feel her hands and legs bruising, and she stifled sobs as one of the Carrows kicked her. When the smells of the dungeons reached her nose, she began to feel sick. _

_Alecto released her from the ropes and Ginny stood, her body shaking. The siblings stared at her, and Ginny tried to stand taller. Her knees were weak and she wanted to cry. _

"_So, you've finally decided to join us," Amycus said, and Ginny crossed her arms. _

"_I've had enough of your shit," she had barely finished speaking before Alecto raised her wand and white-hot pain shot through Ginny's body. She screamed, falling to the floor and gasping for breath. _

"_You might be a pure blood, but that doesn't make you exempt from our form of discipline," Alecto shrieked, holding Ginny under the curse for a moment more. As Alecto dropped her want, Ginny fell to the floor in a heap. She was panting, heavily, and her vision was blurry. _

"_Is that… all… you've got?" Ginny asked, pushing herself into a sitting position. She could barely make out the Carrows now, as one of her eyes was half shut. She could feel her mouth swelling, and her ears were ringing loudly. Amycus grinned. _

"_Not quite," he said, raising his wand at her. _

_This time, the pain shot through her head the most, and she was reminded of when the diary would take hold of her. She pushed back, trying her hardest to shake off the spell. With each mental push, she felt Amycus push harder. She finally screamed as the pain shot down her spine, and she pushed the spell away. It took all of her might to take in a deep breath as the pain subsided, and she could just barely hear Alecto's shrill laughter. _

"_What a fighter! Too bad she's on the losing side, right brother?" Alecto turned to Amycus, who nodded. _

"_What a shame. She would do so well with us," he said, looking at Ginny. _

"_Who said I'm… on the losing side?" Ginny stuttered out, and Amycus laughed. _

"_Why, the Dark Lord of course! Do you really think Harry Potter can defeat the most powerful wizard of all time?"_

_Ginny pushed herself to sit, her breath coming in puffs. She tilted her head so she could see the Carrows through the narrow view her eyes now had, and she smirked. _

"_Harry's beaten Voldemort before and he'll do it again."_

_Alecto didn't hesitate this time and the pain knocked Ginny out cold. _

_(…)_

_A group of Ravenclaws shuffled down the hallway, keeping their eyes open for signs of danger. Ginny walked slightly behind them, her right eye still puffy and her lip still swollen. She didn't break eye contact with anyone who dared look at her, and she snarled at Carrow loyal Slytherins. _

_She spun around as the feeling of being watched took over her body, and she wasn't surprised to see Alecto and Amycus standing there, staring at her. They had eerie smiles on their faces, and they were appraising their handy work. Amycus licked his lips. _

"_Next time, Weasel," he said, and Alecto let out a wicked laugh. The students in the halls scattered, but Ginny glared right at her torturers. _

"_Yes, next time," she whispered, and the Carrows narrowed their eyes at her. She glared at them one last time before turning on her heel, holding out her arms to move the Ravenclaws (who had drawn their wands) down the hallway. _

"_Leave it alone," she mumbled, though part of her was honored that a group of third years would dare take on the Carrows for her. _

_(…)_

"_Harry Potter… is dead!"_

_Pain exploded through her body, and a scream escaped her lungs. Arthur grabbed her, holding her back, whispering in her ear. _

"_Ginny dear, don't," he was half sobbing, and she clawed at his arms, staring at the limp body of Harry in Hagrid's arms. She could feel her body collapsing, her arms weakening, and she leaned heavily against her father's arms. Tears were flowing down her cheeks now, rapidly, and she could feel her breaths coming shorter. Voldemort was saying something, and then she heard Ron shout. _

"_He beat you!"_

_The world around her exploded in sounds, and it was then she realized she was screaming, but then the world was quiet again, and her mouth hung open in horror. She watched as Harry was laid to the ground, and she wanted nothing more than to run, run to where he lay and hold him, cradle him to her chest, kiss him on the forehead the way he liked. _

_She wanted to see his smile, feel his hand in her hair, his breath on her neck as they hid under trees, the fluttering of her stomach as he held her hand, and the way his eyes lingered on her face. She wanted to make him feel loved, to remind him that he was worth it, that he had a future… a future that was gone. _

_She didn't even notice the commotion, and in the split second that her eyes travelled between Neville and Voldemort, Harry had disappeared. _

"_HARRY!" Hargid shouted. "HARRY – WHERE'S Harry?"_

_And before Ginny had a chance to panic, her father was pulling her away from the scene, inside, and her head was spinning. She focused on the ground, her eyes found a focal point, and she ran, as fast as she could, into the throng of people. _

_The throng of people who were fighting for Harry Potter. _

_(…)_

Harry felt himself pushed out of Ginny's mind, they were suddenly in his mind, his memories were floating near the surface, and a pain pushed through his body as a barrier broke…

(…)

"_Harry Potter," Voldemort paused, grinning. "The Boy Who Lived."_

_Everyone was waiting. Harry could feel his parents there behind him, with Lupin and Sirius, and he could see the scene in front of him. He thought for a moment, about the happiest memory he could find, and focused on that. The image of Ginny came to his mind, running at him across the common room, her hard blazing look, and the feeling of her arms swinging around his neck as she crashed into him, body and lips. _

_He looked at Voldemort, saw the red eyes, and panicked. He could feel the fear, and he thought of Ginny, the life she could have when this was all over, the happiness she could achieve, the life she could have… the life he'd envisioned them having together. _

_As the green light moved towards his body, he could hear Ginny whispering in his ear. _

"_Don't be so thick, of course I like you."_

_(…)_

_He sat at the table, his eyes locked on her moving form. She was talking to some friends from school, and though her voice was lively, her eyes were sad. He could see the tension in her shoulders, and longed to get up and help. But then he felt the tension in his shoulders, the weight on his chest, and he stayed where he was, at the table, alone, under his cloak. _

_It was some time later that she finally was able to extract herself from the people and plop down next to him, aware as always of where he was. Her hand slipped under the cloak and she held his hand. _

"_Do you need anything?" she asked quietly, and he felt a sob clog his throat. _

_He wanted to scream, to tell her how much he hurt, how badly his soul ached, how much he wanted everything and everyone back, to feel happy. He wanted to grab her and hold her, kiss her until he forgot who he was, and feel like a normal teenager again. But the words left his lips, and he shook his head. _

"_No."_

_It was harsher than he'd meant, and he could see the flash of hurt in her eyes, but before he could do anything, she was smiling at him again. _

"_Okay," she replied, sitting back in her chair, her hand squeezing his. _

_(…)_

It was hard to tell whose memory it was now…

_(…)_

_Ginny gently pulled her shirt up and over her head, tossing it to the side. Harry was staring at her skin, soft and white, his eyes following the line of her bra. She was watching his face, gauging his reaction, as a strange smile spread across his lips. He let out a soft breath, and looked at her eyes. He was blushing, and so was she. _

"_You're… beautiful," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her torso and bringing her into his lap. They were huddled under the low tree by the lake, hidden from view by a few charms. _

_Ginny felt Harry's hand hover over her chest, and she easily pushed his palm against her breast. Even through the fabric of her bra, she could feel the heat of his hand. He sucked in a sharp breath as he squeezed and she let out a small moan. He looked down at her, waiting for her to look him in the eyes to kiss her. _

_He kept kissing her as he fumbled with the clasp, and as she reached up and pulled the article of clothing off herself, and he kept his lips against her as his thumbs traveled over her nipples, and she gasped into his mouth. _

_He kept kissing her, even as he moved from her lips to her neck, and finally down to her breasts. He kissed across her chest, sucked on the soft skin, and moaned as Ginny's leg came into contact with his growing erection. _

"_Gin," he hissed, and she pulled on his hair. She pulled him up to kiss her mouth, her face red hot. They smiled as they parted. _

"_I know," she mumbled, and he stared into her eyes. He felt himself getting lost, had to pull himself back to reality, to the feeling of her bare chest against his hands, and her leg against him. _

"_Wow," they whispered at the same time, before Harry pushed Ginny back onto the soft blanket, and Ginny moved her hands under his shirt, pushed herself against his erection. They moaned, and he shuddered in pleasure. _

"_Oh, Ginny," he gasped as she rocked against him, and Harry Potter forgot who he was, the prophecy looming over him, and the mark that had been on his back since he was born. He forgot about Dumbledore and Voldemort, and Snape and Draco, and focused on the feeling of Ginny under his body, her soft skin against his hands, and her hips moving against his. _

_Ginny smiled as Harry buried his face in her neck, a moan escaping his lips. _

_Under the shade of the tree, next to the waters of the lake, they forgot about the world for just a second._

* * *

**A/N: **OKAY so I hope that wasn't too confusing to read! I tried to make it as clear as possible, but it might have gotten a bit hectic there.

I also tried to stick some Ron/Hermione in there for some of you. They'll have more time later, next chapter and after that. But, for now, there's that small little bit.

Please leave reviews! I've fallen behind on writing, so I'm not as far ahead as I'd like to be, because of work and how much I've been sleeping lately, BUT I will have updates every Thursday as promised. As long as I stop working until 2330 tho...

Anyway, reviews are always appreciated!

-Izzy


	11. Out Of The Woods Pt 1

**Title:** I Know Places  
**Chapter: **Out Of The Woods Pt. 1  
**Author:** dizzy - in - the - izzy  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever, made money off the things I post on this site.  
**Summary: **A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.

**READ: **Part of this chapter contains sexual content.

* * *

_When you started crying, baby, I did too  
But when the sun came up, I was looking at you_

It was Sunday.

Molly stood in the kitchen of the Burrow, tears on her cheeks. Her home was full of people; of young adults she'd known since they were young children; adults she'd met protecting those children; and a baby. Yet, despite the people moving around the area, it was almost entirely quiet.

Teddy cried out, and Molly moved towards where the small child lay. Andromeda was outside with Arthur, and Molly had offered to take care of the child. She smiled as she picked up Teddy, his eyes moving rapidly to focus on her. His body moved in jerky motions, and she placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

She smiled as his hair changed to match hers.

"Is he okay, mum?"

She turned around and found George standing there, his face apprehensive. Molly nodded, jerking her head to motion him over. George walked up next to her, reaching down and touching Teddy's cheek. The baby looked up, his body jerking from side to side.

"He's fine, just a little cranky is all," she replied, moving to offer Teddy to George.

Tentatively, George reached out and took baby Teddy. There was some shuffling, but then George had his arms around the baby securely. He smiled at his mother.

"He's so warm," he said, and Molly laughed.

"He's probably hungry, do you want to feed him his bottle?" she asked, and he nodded. He followed Molly into the kitchen, smiling at Hermione as she came in from the back.

"Oh, he's changed his hair again!" she exclaimed, moving over to gaze at Teddy. The baby had his hand in his mouth, and his eyes were unfocused. His hair remained the color of Molly's, something that made George feel a tad sad.

"He's really embracing his powers," George joked, and Molly rolled her eyes.

"He's going to be a tough one to take out, that's for sure. Who knows how long it'll be before he can control it," she said as she walked over to George, holding up a bottle to him. George sat down at the table, situated Teddy in his arms, and plopped the bottle into his mouth. George smiled as Teddy's eyes shut.

"Lupin… they made Harry the godfather, right?" George asked, and Hermione nodded.

"That's how I understand it," she said, sitting down next to George and running her hand through Teddy's hair. She looked up as Ron came inside, a soft smile on his face at the sight of Hermione and Teddy.

"Oi, George! I didn't know you'd been pregnant!" Ron chuckled as he walked around the table, and George smiled widely. Molly felt new tears arise at the sight.

"I hid it well, didn't gain much weight," George replied, throwing a prideful look at Ron. Hermione bit her bottom lip, sadness filling up her chest.

Teddy gurgled and they looked down at the baby, George easily adjusting the bottle. Hermione sucked in a sharp breath as Teddy's hair changed again, this time to jet-black. The mood of the room changed, and Ron coughed uneasily.

"Mum, d'you need help with dinner?" Ron looked away from Teddy, drawing his mother's attention in. She shook herself before nodding.

"I would appreciate that, Ron," she said, smiling as Ron stood up and walked around to her. Hermione watched them move to the sink, their voices low. She looked back at George, who was staring at Teddy with a new look in his eyes.

"It's easier," he whispered, "to see him like this."

He gently reached up and ruffled Teddy's hair.

Hermione nodded, pushing the tears off her cheeks.

(…)

Ginny woke with a headache and a sore body. She blindly reached out across the bed, trying to figure out where Harry was. It hurt to open her eyes, and she pushed at them angrily. When they finally opened, she saw Harry curled up at the top of the bed, his eyes wide. She crawled over to him, pushing the pain in her head away.

"Harry," she whispered, and his eyes flickered to look at her. She pushed on his legs, forcing him to straighten up, so she could crawl into his arms and curl up against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and took a deep breath, his body relaxing as he exhaled.

"What happened?" he asked, and she shook her head. There were tears in her eyes, and she didn't know if she trusted her voice.

"I don't know," she whispered, fighting the lump in her throat. Harry kissed her head, his hand moving up to rub her back.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, and she forced herself to look up at him.

"For what?" she croaked, and he touched her face.

"For what you went through, what you dealt with last year," he said, his voice soft and calm. She nodded carefully, finding a spot on his shirt to focus on.

"You… you thought of me?"

The question hung in the air as Harry swallowed the lump growing in this throat. He nodded, running his hand through her hair. She looked up at him.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"I think I might have, some day," he replied, and she smiled at him. Her headache was lessening and her body didn't hurt as much.

"How do you feel?" she asked, reaching up to rub his scalp. He hummed at the contact.

"Sleepy," he mumbled, and she chuckled.

"How long was I out?" she scooted up the bed so they were face to face. He shrugged.

"I don't know, I was sort of in shock," he said, his hand gripping her side.

"Are you hungry at all?"

He frowned, his brows coming together.

"Not really," he said, and she nodded.

"Well, let's get some sleep then."

She reached down and grabbed the blanket as Harry removed his glasses and placed them at the top of the bed. He lay back down and waited for her to curl into his side. Pulling the blanket up to below her chin, he kissed the top of her head.

"I'm glad we did that," he mumbled, and Ginny hummed.

"Really?" she asked, looking up at him uncertainly. He smiled.

"Yeah. I… it helped me understand," he replied, and she took it. She hid her face in his shoulder, letting out a long sigh.

"Me too."

(…)

Ginny sat on the bank of the lake, watching as Harry swam through the water. His need for physical exercise had increased, and he'd started becoming restless without it. Ginny was happy, to say the least, that he suddenly needed to be moving.

"Are you going to join me?" he called to her, and she shrugged. There was another family in the water, down the bank, and the kids were watching as Harry swam. They hadn't covered up their scars, hoping that the sun would help to wash them away.

"I'm waiting for you to tire out so I can keep up with you," she joked, and he grinned at her. His head went back under the water, and she watched as he splashed away. Sighing to herself, she stood and pulled her shirt up and over her head.

The water was cold, but the air was hot and sticky. She quickly redid her bun, pulling it as tight as she could, before pushing herself into the water. Once it reached her waist, she held her breath and took the plunge.

Harry was ahead of her, deep in the water, floating around. She swam towards him and his face lit up when he saw her. He pointed to the surface and she followed him up, smiling as they broke the surface.

"I'm not tired," he mumbled, and she shrugged. She pointed to his spotless glasses, the glasses that hadn't left his face, and he smirked at her.

"I learned a couple things," he said, flicking his hair out of his face. Ginny shook her head, pushing away from him and leveling out to float on her back. Harry moved to tread water next to her, his face turned up to the sky.

"It's gorgeous here," he said after a moment, and Ginny hummed in response.

"I'd say it's the perfect vacation spot, if we were here on better circumstances," she replied, looking at him. He pursed his lips.

"Maybe, someday," he said softly, his face peaceful as he closed his eyes and leaned back in the water.

(…)

"Do you want to go home?"

A week and a half had passed since they'd shared memories. Harry's mood had improved tenfold, and he was more active than before. He wanted to go swimming, and was receptive when she mentioned hiking around the area. He was always wary, always alert, but he smiled more, laughed with her easier.

"What?"

They were standing in the shower together, an activity that they'd repeated since that first shower after she'd arrived. It was more out of comfort than anything.

"Home. Do you want to go home?"

Ginny looked at Harry as he massaged shampoo into his hair. She frowned slightly.

"I'm ready whenever you are," she replied, but he shook his head.

"It's not about me, Ginny. Do you want to go home?" he pressed, pushing her to the side to stand under the water. She glared up at him.

"Of course I do," she snapped, and he smiled.

"See, how hard was that?"

She moved under the water next to him, shivering despite herself. Harry reached out and cupped her face, bending down to kiss her. When he pulled back, he was smiling.

"Soon," he said, and she offered him a small smile.

Ginny finished washing her hair and they exited the showers, bundling up and apparating back to their tent. There was no moon, so the world was blanketed in a strange darkness. Ginny stopped Harry as they walked to the tent, pointing to the stars.

"Look how clear it is," she mumbled, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"It's incredible," he said, pushing on her shoulders so she'd walk. She relaxed as she walked into the tent, the warmth of the room reaching her bare arms and legs. Harry walked in behind her, shivering as he did, as they were both only clad in towels.

Harry followed Ginny up to the bed and watching her as she began searching through her clothes. After a moment she stopped and looked at him, her eyes narrowed.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked, her lips turning up slightly. He shrugged, reaching into his pile of clothes and pulling out a pair of clean underwear.

"No, I'm good," he replied, and she rolled her eyes. She was still rifling through her clothes after Harry had pulled on his boxers and lay down on the bed, his eyes watching her.

"Lose something?" he asked after a minute, and she bit her bottom lip.

"No, it's fine."

She dropped her towel and Harry felt a blush on his cheeks as she pulled on a pair of underwear, but left off a bra. He looked away as she grabbed her wand, casting a drying spell on her long hair.

"You're so strange," she mumbled, and he felt the bed dip behind him. Her body pressed against his and a shiver ran up his spine.

"Why, because I don't ogle you?"

"Yes," she chuckled, pressing a hand flat against his chest. He sighed heavily.

"I could gaze at you until you blush," he quipped, suddenly turning over in front of her. She laughed as he reached over and tickled her sides, his fingers dancing across her skin.

"Harry, please," she sighed, and he moved in to kiss her softly.

"You would blush," he said, and she rolled her eyes.

Harry pushed her back carefully on the bed, making her lay flat. She stared up at him as he pushed her hair aside, off her shoulders, and onto the mattress. Running his fingers down her shoulder, his eyes followed the curve of her breast to her belly button. His hand wandered down to cup her breast, his thumb gently gliding over her nipple. Sucking in a sharp breath, she looked up at him in surprise.

He was staring at her face, his eyes alight. He bent down and kisses her gently, his lips soft and warm against hers. She could feel his hand on her side as he traced down and across her stomach. His lips moved from hers to her cheek, down to her neck, and onto her collarbone. She sucked in a sharp breath as she felt his teeth against her skin.

"Harry," she whispered, and he hummed at her. He pushed himself back up, gazing down at her with heavy eyes. His eyes moved over her body again, lingering on her stomach. When his eyes snapped back up to her face, she shivered despite herself.

Reaching up with his free hand, he traced his fingers from her temple to her chin, and then moving his hand into her hair. She felt her cheeks warm as he smiled at her softly.

"You're so beautiful," he said honestly, and she felt the blush on her cheeks intensify. But he didn't gloat, or even smirk at her. Instead, with care and a tenderness she hadn't felt in a year, he cupped her face and kissed her again.

She let him control the moment until she became impatient, her body humming for more. She had her hands in his hair, and she tilted her head back, parting her lips slightly. She wiggled under him until she could press her hips against his, feeling satisfaction as he moaned.

The fabric between them was thin, and she could feel the heat of his body, the feeling of _him_ against her. She moved so she could open her legs, letting him settle in between them. He moved his face to her neck, a soft moan emitting from his chest. His lips pressed against her skin, and she could feel the arm he was using as support shaking next to her head.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, and he let out a long, warm breath.

"I…" he trailed off, and his hips shifted against hers. His erection pressed against her, and she gasped at the contact.

"I can't… explain… it," he stuttered, and she nodded, somewhat understanding. He had locked up, his body suddenly feeling tight. She bit her lip as he kept breathing against her neck, his free hand on her waist.

"Harry?"

"What?"

"Touch me."

He moved to look down at her, his cheeks flaming red. He opened and closed his mouth, seeming to stumble over what he wanted to say. She reached down between them and moved his hand down towards her hips, stopping as they reached the hem of her underwear. He closed his eyes, biting his lips.

"I want you to," she whispered, and he shook.

"I'll show you what to do," she said, taking her hand off his and running her fingers across the front of his boxers. His hips jerked, and he opened his eyes to stare at her.

"Okay," he rushed, bending down to kiss her again, his fingers slipping under the hem of her underwear. She gasped as his fingers slipped between her lips, and he moved his lips to her collarbone, and then down to her breast.

Fred and George had once given him the sex talk, sometime during his fourth year. It had been awkward, with the twins grinning at him, matching mischievous smiles, while Harry tried not to bolt from the room. They'd explained the basics, told him some spells, and explained how to get the job done.

Two years later, as he dug up that information, tried it on a girl for the first time, he'd found out what they'd been talking about.

And as Ginny moaned below him, her mouth open as he moved his fingers in quick circles, slipping down into her once or twice, he felt something new. Sixth year had been blissful oblivion, carefree days of hiding and exploring.

This was intimate, slow, refined passion, as Ginny gripped back, one of her hands slipping up into his hair. The sound of her gasps resonated through his chest, and he felt a piece of him hum, a certain comfort as he got closer to her, felt more of her, than he had in a year.

"Harry! I-" she didn't get to finish, because as he used his teeth gently on her breast, he felt her back arch, her hips moving into his hand, and she cried out. Her breathing was fast, and her eyes were screwed shut, and he looked up at her as she swore, a hand on her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips looked a bit swollen from biting them.

He pushed her underwear down her legs, and she moved to help him. She laid heavily on the bed, her eyes closed still.

"Are you okay?" he asked, smiling as nodded.

"Better than okay," she said, looking at him. He barely had time to react as she pushed on him and he fell over on the bed, her hands already working on pulling off his boxers.

When her hand touched his erection, he knew exactly what she meant.

(…)

Ron walked down the stairs into the kitchen, following the deep voice of Kingsley to the living room. The Minister was standing there, talking hurriedly with Arthur, their arms crossed. When Arthur saw his youngest son, he waved him over.

"Ron, we need to ask you a few questions, because we can't talk to Harry at the moment," his father said, and Ron nodded. Kingsley shook Ron's hand, gesturing to the couch to sit.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, and Kingsley shook his head.

"Nothing is wrong, really, but we do have some things we need to work out," Kingsley explained, and Ron nodded.

"Well, I'll try," he jokingly said, and Arthur smiled slightly.

"Do you know if Harry plans on moving back to Grimmauld Place?"

Ron frowned, thinking back on any conversations he had with Harry.

"Well, he hasn't said anything to me about finding a place to move into, but I know he probably wants to find somewhere, leave here. As much as he loves it, he probably thinks he's over staying his welcome," Ron chuckled, and Arthur nodded.

"Well, there's been some… activity around the place, and we need to make a decision about it."

Ron sat up straighter, his leg twitching.

"What's been going on?"

"There have been… some attempts to get inside, all unsuccessful, but nonetheless. We need to place a new charm on it, and Bill's offered to help, but we need to pick a secret keeper, and we assume Harry trusts you enough to be it?"

Ron bit his lip, letting out a slow breath.

"I believe so," he said, and Arthur and Kingsley nodded.

"We can do that soon, Bill said he's free soon. We just need to do this now, and with Harry gone…" Kingsley trailed off, and Ron nodded.

"I bet Hermione would love to help," he said, and Arthur nodded.

"Of course she would. Do you want to go find her?" Arthur suggested, and Ron suspected it was to get Ron out of the room. Nodding, he stood and moved through the kitchen to the backdoor.

Hermione was outside, reading a book in the sunshine. He walked down to where she sat in the grass, falling to sit next to her. She smiled at him as he settled, leaning back to rest on his hands.

"How are you?" she asked reaching over and touching his knee. He smiled at her.

"I'm fine. Kingsley and Dad said we need to cast a new charm on Grimmauld Place, as there have been some attempts to break in, apparently. Asked me to be Secret Keeper," he said, and Hermione's eyes widened.

"Oh, wow! Do they need help? I'm sure I can do-"

"They already asked, it's why I'm out here. That, and I'm sure they wanted to talk about more things without me there. They just needed to ask someone while Harry's away," Ron interrupted her before she could go off on a tangent, and she nodded.

"Do you feel like they're still withholding information from us?" she asked, and Ron shrugged.

"I feel like there's a lot of stuff they don't know if they can tell us, you know? Like they would rather tell Harry, in a way," he said, and she nodded.

"It's maddening really! We were as big a part of this as Harry was, maybe not as important, but I want to know what's going on!" she exclaimed, and Ron knew he'd hit a sore spot. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, leaning his head against hers.

"They might think they're doing us a favor," he said, and she sighed.

"I would rather know everything than be left in the dark," she snapped, and Ron hummed in agreement.

(…)

Harry woke the next morning, his body heavy with peaceful sleep. He felt immensely better, calm, and he knew why. Reaching across the bed, he grabbed Ginny and pulled her to him, smiling as her bare skin came into contact with his.

"Morning," she mumbled, and he chuckled. He kissed her shoulder, settling his nose against her ear.

"Have I ever told you how much I like you?" he asked, and she laughed.

"That's the orgasm talking," she replied, and he nuzzled her neck.

"Well, it's true, orgasm or not," he said, and rolled her eyes. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled at him.

"I like you too," she mumbled, her eyes shining at him brightly. He grinned.

"I think I'm almost ready to go home," he blurted, and she started.

"You are?" turning over in the bed, she scooted right up to him, her nose against his.

"I… well, let's go on another trip into Cheyenne," he offered, and she grinned.

"We can do that."

* * *

**A/N: **I apologize for this being a day late. I might have to change it to just once a week, not guaranteed on Tuesday, as my work schedule is absolutely crazy! Anyway! We're at a good part. I'm excited. This is part 1, there's two more parts of this song (OOTW fit very well for this part of the story, so)

FYI; my 21st birthday is next Monday, so I'll either be updating late on Tuesday or on Wednesday sometime, I can't make any promises. I plan on partying hard.

Reviews are always appreciated!

-Izzy


	12. Out Of The Woods Pt 2

**Title:** I Know Places  
**Chapter:** Out Of The Woods Pt. 2  
**Author:** dizzy - in - the - izzy  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever, made money off the things I post on this site.  
**Summary:** A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.

* * *

_Remember when we couldn't take the heat,_  
_I walked out and said I'm setting you free_

Harry sat at the table in the tent, slowly eating his breakfast as Ginny dug through her pouch, cursing. He watched as she stuck her entire arm into the pouch, shook around, practically growled.

"Gin, what are you looking for?" Harry asked as he placed down his empty plate, watching as she produced a beat up hat from the bag.

"This!" she exclaimed, holding it up to him. He narrowed his eyes, eyeing it cautiously.

"Why?"

"To cover your hair, when we go into Cheyenne!"

Harry swallowed the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat, and he fidgeted.

"When are we going, again?" he asked as she walked over and slipped the hat onto his head.

"Tomorrow," she stated simply, admiring him. He pulled the hat off his head, examining it.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, examining the worn stitching and faded logo. Ginny grinned.

"It was in dad's shed. He said it's a baseball cap," she said, and Harry nodded.

"Yeah, they're popular among muggles. Where did your dad find this one?" Harry said, slipping the hat back on his head. Ginny shrugged.

"I didn't ask, I just took it. I have a couple hats, actually, but that one's more… innocuous," she smiled at him as he flexed the brim, flattening it slightly. He pushed it down on his head slightly, and his hair squished inside the hat to cover his scar completely. Ginny nodded happily.

"That looks good!" she said, reaching across to flick the brim slightly. Harry laughed at her.

"My glasses are still recognizable," he said, and Ginny thought for a moment.

"Can we disillusion them?" she asked, and Harry nodded slowly.

"I suppose we can," he said, giving her a smile. She beamed at him as she stood and walked around the table to sit in his lap. He looked up at her as she pushed the cap back off his head, tossing it gently onto the table.

"So we're all set then," her voice was low, and Harry felt his stomach dance.

"Tomorrow," he said, and she nodded firmly.

"Tomorrow, we go to Cheyenne."

"And then we decide if I'm ready to go home," he replied, and she shook her head.

"Harry, it's entirely up to you, when you're ready to go home. You know that you'll have the same kind of privacy there, the same safe environment, but you'll be surrounded by more friends. You just have to decide when you're ready for that."

Swallowing, he looked away from her, at the skin her tank top exposed. He felt her relax against him, her chin resting on his head, and he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled his face into her neck. She instantly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, rubbing a hand over his back.

"This is about your recovery," she mumbled, and he nodded.

"I know," he said, trying to push the lump in his throat away. He felt her lips on his hair as she pulled on his chin, forcing him to look up at her.

"You're doing great," she said, and he looked at her critically for a moment.

"So are you," he replied, and she bit her bottom lip.

(…)

Harry held onto Ginny's hand tightly as they appeared with a soft pop in the alleyway they'd first apparated to, on their first trip into Cheyenne. It was empty, but the main street was crowded with people, and the din of their voices was enough to make Harry's stomach churn.

"You're the one who wanted to come on a Saturday," Ginny mumbled, squeezing his hand reassuringly. Harry nodded, looking down at her with an odd smile.

"I did," he replied, releasing her hand and wrapping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side.

"Well, let's go. We should probably send Mum another owl…"

Harry steered them out onto the busy street, his stomach settling as Ginny wrapped her arm around his waist. On the crowded sidewalk, the heat of the day intensified, and Harry wondered how long he could keep his hat on.

"Where's the post office?" he asked, and Ginny pointed ahead, to where numerous owls could be seen flying in out and of a building in rapid succession.

"I still can't believe you slipped away and sent an owl without me noticing," Harry smiled down at her, and she grinned.

"I have many talents," she quipped, winking at him. He felt a blush on his cheek, and he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Right, well let's send this letter off."

They walked into the post office, ducking as a brown owl swopped above them. Harry smiled at the familiar sounds of the owls, and the bustling of workers as they quickly helped customers. Ginny walked over to a table off to the side, where pads of paper and pens were laid out for general use.

"What are you going to write?" Harry asked nervously, watching as she addressed the letter.

"That we're coming home," she replied simply, her hand hovering over the paper as she thought about how to start the letter. She looked up at Harry and bit her lip.

"I can't do this with you looking over my shoulder," she said, and Harry nodded.

"Right, I'll look at the owls," he said, and Ginny chuckled at him. He walked over to the wall of resting owls, picking up a treat from the bowl and handing one to the nearest owl. It hooted at him, it's eyes staring at him carefully.

"Don't give me that look," Harry joked to the owl, and it continued to look at him. He looked at the color band on the owl's leg, then up at the board.

"A two day owl, domestic only. That's not so rough buddy," he said, offering his hand to the animal. The owl reached out and gently nipped his finger. Harry smiled.

"James, come here."

Harry turned his head at the sound of Ginny's voice, raising an eyebrow at her. She glared back, her eyes shifting to the paper in front of her. Harry took one look at the owl and walked over to where Ginny stood.

"James?"

"I'm not going to yell Harry in a crowded wizarding area, now am I?"

"Fair point."

Ginny held up the letter for him to read, and he scanned it quickly. With a nod, he quickly grabbed a pen and signed his name to the bottom as well, and Ginny flashed him a grin.

"Excellent, now let's send this off."

She lead him over to the queue, digging into her shorts pocket for her pouch. Harry coughed, getting her attention, and held up his wallet.

"I'll pay," he mumbled, and she nodded quickly.

"Next!"

The process was short, and Harry was amazed to learn that the owl would be apparating to England that evening, and the letter would arrive at the Burrow the next morning. Ginny barely blinked an eye, and she kept the workers attention off Harry with light chatter as they filled out paperwork. When it was time to pay, Harry dug out a couple bills and handed them to the cashier.

"How do we know it's arrived?" Harry asked, and the cashier turned to look at Harry carefully.

"If the owl doesn't reach it's destination, it's most likely dead," the boy said, and Harry heard Ginny snicker next to him.

"I asked the same question, go the same answer, from a different person," she said, and the cashier handed Harry his change.

"Have a good day," the cashier said, ushering them along so he could help the next customer. Harry followed behind Ginny out the door, pointedly ignoring her gaze.

"That's not funny," he said, and she looped her arms through his as she laughed.

"It kind of was, your face," she said, and he shook his head.

"Where to next?" he asked, and she stopped laughing, perking up.

"I wanted to get some ice cream. It's far too hot today," she said, steering Harry down the street towards the shop. Harry nodded, reaching up to scratch his scalp under the hat.

"I can feel it," he said, and Ginny looked at him. She pulled her wand out from where she'd shoved it into her shorts and pointed it at his head. She mumbled something and a cool feeling washed over his body. He smiled.

"We're magical," she said, and Harry chuckled softly.

"The thought of using a cooling charm on my head hadn't occurred to me," he admitted, looking down at her. She was grinning at him.

"Mum always used it on us when we were cleaning the upper rooms of the house, or when we'd come inside from working in the garden," she said, pausing to wait to cross the street. Her eyes glazed over as she looked across the street, and Harry bent down and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"I think I remember her using it on me once," he mumbled, and Ginny nodded. She looked up at him, a grin on her face.

"Oh, anything for her favorite child," she joked, and Harry rolled his eyes.

"We're all her favorite children," he replied, and she shook her head.

(…)

Hermione walked down the stairs into the kitchen, her brows furrowing as the voices she'd been trying to listen to stopped. She stifled a groan as she saw Molly, Arthur, and Kingsley sitting around the table, faces tense from whatever they were discussing.

"Oh, Hermione dear," Molly said, standing up uneasily and walking to her. "Are you looking for Ron?"

Hermione licked her bottom lip, and looked around.

"No, just walking," she snapped, ignoring the looks from her elders and walking to the sink. She was pouring herself a glass of water when she heard someone clear their throat.

"Hermione, is something bothering you?"

It was Kingsley, which she didn't expect. Carefully, she turned around and met his gaze. His face was tired, and his eyes displayed how much stress he was feeling. She took in a short breath.

"Are you… are you guys hiding something from us? From Ron and I?"

The question hung in the air, even as Ron stumbled down the stairs, his face wary as he came into the room. He stood opposite Hermione, his eyebrows in his hair, as his parents turned to look at him.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice cautious. He surveyed the room, his eyes coming to rest on Hermione. She tried to impart what was happening through her eyes, and she thought he began to understand when Kingsley cleared his throat.

"Sit, both of you, please," he said, and Ron maneuvered the table easily to slide into a chair right next to Hermione. His hand grasped hers under the table, and he looked at her.

"What did you do?" he asked quietly, and she widened her eyes at him.

"I asked them if they're hiding anything from us," she replied, and his eyes closed slowly.

"So," Kingsley said, breaking Ron and Hermione's focus away from each other. Hermione sat up straighter.

"You wanted to know if we're hiding anything from you two," the Minister said, and Hermione nodded.

"I would appreciate it if nothing was kept from us," she said, her tone firm. Molly seemed to shift nervously in her chair.

"I understand," Kingsley replied, and Hermione leaned forward.

"But," she supplied, and Kingsley chuckled to himself.

"A lot of what we want to know, what we are wondering, needs to come from Harry, himself. We've asked you both enough questions, and both of your parents have expressed concerns that you've told us all you can, and that it is Harry we need to talk too, but he's not here," Kingsley said, and Ron sat up a little straighter.

"Harry's told us plenty, I bet we could answer some more questions," he said, but the Minister shook his head.

"If Harry had really told you plenty, you would have known where he disappeared too. That man has some secrets of his own, and I need to ask him, personally."

The finality of his statement hung in the air, and Hermione sat back in her chair. She let out a soft breath and looked down at the table, then at Ron. They shared a quick look.

"Okay," Ron said, turning to look at his parents. "But if there's anything you're purposely keeping from us, Hermione and I, I think you should get it out in the open."

"We aren't keeping anything from you," Molly said, "it's just… there are answers we'd like to get from Harry."

Ron let out a long breath, and Hermione squeezed his hand.

"Fair enough," Hermione said, and the subject was closed.

(…)

Harry held Ginny's hand tightly as they walked down the street, the taste of ice cream still on his lips. They had nothing else to accomplish, and Harry wasn't done seeing the community. He'd pulled Ginny from the shop and silently led her away from the crowds, towards the more residential area.

"Where do all of these kids go to school?" he asked as they walked, and she frowned.

"There's a school somewhere, I'm just not sure where," she said, and Harry hummed softly.

"The United States is huge though, I can't imagine there's only one school," he continued, and Ginny thought about that for a moment.

"Who knows," she conceded, and he leaned against her for a moment.

They came to a stop as a park came into view, a play structure sitting smack in the middle, swings off to the side. Harry smiled at the sight, and pulled on Ginny's hand. She followed him wordlessly across the grass to the short wood wall that contained the sand around the swings, stepping over it with ease. Harry released her hand and rushed to a swing, sitting down unceremoniously. Walking around to stand behind him, Ginny placed her hands on the chains and bent down.

"Would you like me to push you?" she asked, and he turned his head slightly so he could see her out of the corner of his eye. He was smiling.

"No one's ever pushed me on the swings before," he said, and Ginny smiled.

"Well, it's your lucky day," she said, stepping back and pulling on the chains as she went. Harry lifted his feet off the ground and laughed as Ginny let go and he moved through the air, if only slightly.

"I can't do all of the work though," she said, her hands meeting his back to push again. Harry chuckled, and as he swung back towards where Ginny stood, he leaned back, his head coming to bump into her chest. She pushed on his shoulder, he pumped his legs, and soon she wasn't pushing him at all. She moved around to stand in front of him, watching as he sloped through the air, a serene smile on his face.

"I'm going to jump," he said to her, and she shook her head.

"You'll crumble like a cookie," she said, and Harry glared at her.

"I will not, and you know it," he replied as Ginny moved aside and gestured towards the sand in front of the swing set.

"Just let me get my wand ready," she joked, and Harry rolled his eyes.

"I did this all the time as a kid," he said before he let go of the swing and flew through the air, landing in a rolling motion on the ground. Ginny bit her bottom lip as she walked over to him, helping him move to lie on his back. He was still smiling.

"You're not a kid anymore," she said, and he tugged on her arm. She sighed as she sat down next to him, taking one of his hands in her own.

"It was the closest I could get to flying."

She looked down at him, a lump forming in her throat. His eyes were closed, and the smile was still on his face. She reached out with her free hand and touched his cheek.

"Yeah, but real flying doesn't end in you on the ground in a heap… usually," she added, and Harry opened his eyes to look at her. He let out a puff of air, shifting onto his side with a groan.

"It didn't hurt this much as a child," he said, and Ginny pursed her lips.

"Could've been your magic. If there's a lot built up, it can sometimes act in funny ways," she said, and Harry thought about it.

"I also always flew farther."

"That's just perception, you were smaller back then."

He pushed himself up and moved to sit next to her in the sand, keeping a firm grasp on her hand.

"I suppose. The memories aren't that clear," he said, and Ginny leaned her head against his shoulder.

"When we get home, I promise you, we'll go flying," she said, and Harry hummed softly.

"Maybe you can take me on a night flight," he said, and she turned her head to look at him.

"That's the best kind of flying," she whispered as Harry kissed her forehead.

"Do you think anyone would be up for a match?" he said softly, and Ginny pursed her lips.

"Eventually…" she trailed off, and Harry nodded.

(…)

Arthur Weasley sat at his kitchen table, a mug of tea in his hands. The house was quiet, as he was the only one currently awake. Molly had been struggling lately, to get herself up, to do much of anything, and on mornings when Arthur found himself awake before his wife, he worried.

His ears perked up at the sound of an owl, moving towards the house. He stood and opened a window, expecting to see one owl with the Prophet. Instead, two owls flew through his window, one looking very exhausted.

He took the paper from the first owl and it took off again, not waiting for a treat. The other owl shook itself and then stuck out it's leg, eyeing Arthur. Arthur took the letter, summoning a bag of owl treats and a dish of water. He set up the owl with the food before examining the letter. He felt his stomach flutter as he recognized his daughters' handwriting.

Making sure the owl wasn't going anywhere, Arthur hurried to his bedroom, entering to find Molly sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes downcast.

"Molly, dear, Ginny's sent us a letter," he said, and his wife perked up at the mention of their youngest child.

"What does it say?" she asked, and Arthur moved to sit on the bed next to her. He unrolled the paper and cleared his throat.

_Dear Mum and Dad, _

_Harry and I are coming home. It should be within the next week. I plan on getting us out of where we're at and to New York soon, though we might spend a little time in New York. I'll be sure to send you a Patronus when I arrive in London, so that travelling to the Burrow is easier. _

_Please make sure there isn't a huge welcoming party when we arrive. It has been just Harry and I for many days now, and while he's doing okay today (the wizard communities here are smaller than London, obviously) I'm not sure he'll be ready for too much stimulation. _

_I love you both, so does Harry. _

_-Love, Ginny_

Molly looked at her husband, her eyes misting over.

"They're coming home," she said, her voice soft. Arthur nodded.

"They're finally coming home," he affirmed, and she smiled.

"They're coming home… I have to clean," Molly said suddenly, and Arthur was about to stop her when she stood up, dusted off her dress, and nodded.

"I'll clean," she repeated, heading out the door without another thought. Arthur watched her go, the knot in his stomach, the knot from worry, slowly unwinding.

"Well, hello! Do you need more food?" Molly's voice floated in from the kitchen, where she'd obviously encountered the owl. Arthur sighed.

They were coming home.

* * *

**A/N: **Yikes... I feel terrible for not updating for so long. I'd explain but it's a lot. All that matters is that I'm okay and just going through some things. Thank you for the concern guys, really. On one hand, it reminded me that people do actually like this story (shocker Izzy!) but on the other, it made me feel guilty, so it was a catch-22.

Anyway, here's the next chapter! I'm going to try (no promises) to get the next one up by next week!

Reviews are always appreciated!

-Izzy


	13. Out Of The Woods Pt 3

**Title:** I Know Places  
**Chapter:** Out Of The Woods Pt. 3  
**Author:** dizzy - in - the - izzy  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I do not, nor have I ever, made money off the things I post on this site.  
**Summary:** A war fought by children makes for broken adults, and broken adults can only handle so much. What happens when the most broken of all disappears? Post-DH, Epilogue Compliant. All canon pairings.

* * *

_But the monsters turned out to be just trees_  
_When the sun came up, you were looking at me._

On the morning of their planned departure, Ginny found Harry sitting outside, holding a cup of tea in his hands. She shuffled over to where he was and sat down next to him, pulling the blanket she'd brought with her tighter around her shoulders.

"This place is incredible," he mumbled, and she hummed softly.

"It is," she agreed, "though I rather miss home."

Harry turned to look at her, his face blank as he studied her. When she finally looked his way, he turned to look back out at the trees and, off in the distance, the lake.

"You never did tell me how you found me," he said suddenly, and it was her turn to look at him. She felt her jaw tighten as she thought over his words.

"You never told me why I was the only one who _could_ find you," she said, and Harry shrugged.

"I've been thinking about that, actually, why you were the only one who could enter my room and such. I don't think I'll have a definite answer for Bill though… or at least not the one he wants," he whispered the last part, and she reached over to touch his shoulder.

"Explain," she said, and he took a sip of his tea.

"I wanted you," he said matter-of-factly, and she felt her stomach flutter slightly.

"Oh?" she asked, and he nodded, his eyes still glued on the lake in the distance.

"Ginny... there aren't… I mean…" he trailed off as he closed his eyes, and she reached over to touch the back of his neck.

"Aside from Hermione and Ron, I'm the other person you want to be around right now," she said, and he nodded, keeping his eyes shut.

"And Ron and Hermione need each other right now," Harry said, leaning into her touch. Ginny smiled as he melted into her touch.

"And you?"

He turned his head to look at her through his eyelashes, a hint of a smile on his lips. He didn't say anything, rather, he shut his eyes again and placed his tea on the ground.

"_I need you,"_ she mentally finished for him, a smile crossing her lips.

"But I didn't know how… to express that," he said, seemingly picking up where her mental conversation left off. She moved the blanket off her shoulder and wrapped it around him as well, moving even closer to him. He brought his legs down from his chest and pulled her legs across his lap.

"I know… now," she said, and he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sorry I'm so difficult," he said, his tone half joking. She laughed, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"I'm sorry I didn't check on you earlier," she mumbled, guilt building up in her chest. But Harry shook his head, pressing another kiss to her forehead.

"You don't have to be sorry for that," he said, and she bit her bottom lip.

"We're all dealing with a lot," he mumbled, reaching up to move her head so she would look at him. His expression was so warm; she felt her anxiety melt.

"I wonder if Bill's already figured all of this out," he said as he kissed her.

"I guess we'll find out soon," Harry mumbled quietly, his lips moving to rest against her forehead.

"Speaking of that, you're all packed, right?" he asked, and Ginny nodded.

"We just have to pack everything away in the pouch and head on home," she said, moving her head to look up at Harry. He bit his lower lip, and she smiled reassuringly at him.

After enjoying the scenery for a little while longer, Ginny extracted herself from his embrace and headed back inside, leaving the blanket wrapped around him. She didn't pressure him to follow, but rather, let him come in when he was ready to help her finish packing everything away into their two bags. They changed into the clothes they were going to wear for the journey, packed away the rest of their belongings, and made their way outside to deal with the tent. Harry quickly made sure they were properly concealed before they magically took apart the tent and shrunk it down to size.

As soon as they'd tucked the tent away in Ginny's pouch, Harry turned to look around, his face blank. Ginny watched anxiously as he shuffled away from their camp spot and walked out towards the lake. She walked a few paces behind him, taking a moment to admire the fact that his clothes actually fit, and his body wasn't as bony as it had been when she'd arrived.

She caught up with him as he stopped at the shore, his eyes glazing over. He didn't seem to notice she was there as he turned slowly and looked at their surroundings. His eyes locked on the mountains nearby, and he smiled slightly.

"Deciding to come _here_ was easy," he said softly, and she held her breath as he glanced at her quickly.

"The choice to leave… was difficult."

She watched as he lowered his eyes and looked at the trees just up the bank from them; the same thicket of trees she'd walked through to find him.

"And now… going home…"

He trailed off, and he turned to face her completely. He reached for her, almost hesitantly, and she moved to stand closer to him, let him wrap an arm around her waist. He pressed his nose against her head and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I don't want to leave," he mumbled, his body slumping as the words left his mouth. Ginny held her breath again.

"Or… the decision to do so… is difficult," he admitted softly against her hair. "It's been… refreshing, to be this far away from people, to have some time to myself and I don't… I'm dreading going back…"

"I know," she said softly, and he sighed heavily.

"It'll be easier this time," he said, and he moved to look at her seriously. She nodded, reaching down and taking his hand. He entwined their hands and squeezed gently.

"You ready?" he asked, and she nodded. He gripped his wand with his free hand and took in a deep breath, taking one last look around the area.

Ginny leaned into him, and he turned them on the spot.

They disappeared with a soft _pop!_

(…)

Ron and Hermione appeared quietly outside the Burrow, their hands clasped together tightly. The afternoon sun was casting long shadows around the building as Ron lead Hermione up the porch stairs. They had spent the day with Hermione's parents, knowing that the next couple days would be spent with Harry. It had been a wonderful time, and though Jack and Rose had offered to come, Hermione had been hesitant, as no one really knew what to expect.

"Oh, you're home! Wonderful! Would you help me bring these clean sheets up to Harry's room, Ron? And Hermione, there's a stack of laundry to be taken up to Ginny's room, could you do that please dear?" Mrs. Weasley bustled past them, and Ron blinked. He made eye contact with his father, who stood across the room, and Arthur shrugged.

"The news of them arriving soon has… revived her," he explained, before ushering them quickly from the room to where the laundry was stacked in the living room.

"How long is this going to last, though?" Hermione asked as she levitated the basket of clothes in front of her. Ron mimicked her actions and they headed for the stairs.

"She'll calm down a bit when Harry arrives, though I'm sure she'll focus all of her energy on him and Ginny… making sure they're fed, bathed, know they're loved…" Ron trailed off, a slight smile on his face. Hermione paused, turning to look at Ron.

"You're excited to see them," she said, her tone indicating she didn't expect a response, but he hummed nonetheless.

"You are too," he said, and they shared a look.

"They're my sibling and best friend, and I haven't seen them in a month and a half," Ron said softly, and Hermione nodded.

"I just want an explanation," Hermione said, and Ron chuckled softly. He applied pressure to her back and she started moving again.

"You're like, fourth in line for that," he joked, and she laughed.

(…)

They apparated into Cheyenne, where they (at Ginny's insistence) followed the proper procedures to apparate into New York. Harry stood back slightly, knowing that these witches and wizards would surely recognize him. However, everyone was polite and professional as Ginny filled out the paperwork to travel home, pulling from the paperwork she'd filled out when she'd travelled in.

They apparated separately into New York, landing one after another. Ginny went first, and stood apprehensively, waiting for the moment Harry appeared by her side. She knew he wouldn't stop now, but she still let out a relieved sigh as he came through. He blinked rapidly, much as he had when she first arrived in New York, against the light pouring in through the ceiling.

"I see you're travelling back home now, Miss Weasley," the woman behind the counter said, her tone all professionalism. Her eyes swept over Harry, and her eyes widened at the scar on his head. But then she looked back down at the papers.

"Will you be travelling out now, or are you staying in the city for a while?" she asked, and Ginny thought about it for a moment.

"We'll be staying in the city for a while, if that's okay," Ginny said the last part mostly to Harry, and he nodded slowly.

"Alright then, I'll send these over to the International desk with that memo, and we'll see you when you're ready to head home," the woman said, placing the papers in a basket next to her, where they promptly disappeared. Ginny nodded her thanks, grabbing Harry's hand and pulling him out of the room. His eyes were glued to the ceiling as Ginny lead him.

"Those buildings are taller than Hogwarts," he said, and Ginny nodded.

"Come on, we can go see some," she said, tugging on him to walk faster.

They followed the signs out of the building with ease, and came out into the sunlight on the busy street. Harry instinctively moved closer to Ginny, keeping his head down as people bustled around them.

"Let me grab the hat for you," Ginny said, reaching into her pocket and rooting around her pouch. The hat flew into her hand and she handed it to Harry, who jammed it onto his head quickly.

"We're still going to be recognized," his voice was anxious, and Ginny pursed her lips.

"Not if we walk fast enough, and blend in," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him along with the people on the sidewalk.

They followed the flow of people down the street, eventually breaking off onto a side street. Ginny slowed their pace and they wandered down past some small shops tucked away behind small doors and under what looked like residences. It didn't take long to find a shop selling food, and Ginny took them inside.

"You're hungry?" Harry asked as Ginny looked around, her eyes looking at the small aisles.

"Kind of," she admitted, taking Harry down the aisles. Harry laughed, following her easily.

They found some food and water, and Ginny paid for it while Harry stood at the stack of newspapers, skimming the immediate headlines. He couldn't find the Prophet, and he supposed it should've made him feel glad. Ginny caught him before he started to dig through the papers, pulling him back outside, handing him a bottle of water.

"Here, drink. There's somewhere I want to show you that I stumbled upon when I was here the first time."

She lead him back out onto the busy sidewalk, and they walked back the way they came. Ginny lead him past the Ministry, and a few other shops, before she reached a little grass covered area. There was a modest pavilion in the middle of it, under which Harry could see a few stones. Ginny lead him across the path, noticing that not many people were in the small garden area. At the back, where a couple of tables sat, where a few people eating lunch, and someone with a sketch pad was sitting against the wall of a one of the buildings surrounding the little area.

"What is this?" Harry asked, looking at Ginny. She was focused on the pavilion ahead, and as they stepped under the structure, Harry's eyes caught sight of the stones, and what was carved into them.

One stone was covered in names, and when Harry looked at the plaque on the ground, he read that they were the names of people lost in the war.

"It's a war memorial," Ginny said softly, wrapping her arm around Harry's waist. He stared down at the names, blinking quickly, before looking at the stone next to it. It had a timeline of dates, and the last one written there was _May 2, 1998._

"These are… Americans… who fought in the war?" Harry asked quietly, and Ginny leaned against him slightly.

"I asked, and apparently there was a bit of an uprising here in America when the first war broke out. Someone who claimed to be associated with Voldemort tried to rise to power, and a group of students fresh out of school foiled his plot. They won, but some of them passed."

Harry stared at the names again, and he swallowed thickly. He turned his attention to the last stone, which had a carving of a familiar looking lightning bolt on it, with the words _"To The Boy Who Lived"_ underneath.

"I can't believe this," Harry mumbled, and Ginny bent up to kiss his cheek.

They stood there in silence for a moment longer, Harry leaning heavily on Ginny. As he stared at it longer, Harry realized that the scar engraving was glowing, if only slightly. In the bright afternoon sun, it was difficult to actually tell, but Harry suspected that at night, it shone a pleasant gold.

They moved on eventually, Harry taking one last look at the stones before being pulled away by Ginny, who mumbled something about time differences and the need to keep moving.

They spent another hour walking around the side streets, upon Harry's insistence. They kept a certain distance from the busier streets until Ginny finally walked them back to the Ministry doors. As they reentered the building, Harry looked up at the world clocks on the walls, paying specific attention to the one that was on London time.

"It's only eight back home," he said, but Ginny rolled her eyes.

"We still have to go through the Ministry," she reminded him, and he scrunched up his nose.

They followed the signs back to the apparition room, their pace slowing as they reached the doors. Harry followed Ginny to the international desks, and then to the window marked "LONDON".

"Ahh, Miss Weasley, I was wondering when we'd see you back here again," a woman said, and Ginny looked up, barely recognizing the worker who had helped her when she'd arrived in America.

"Hello again," Ginny said, quickly glancing at her name badge, and smiling as she remembered Linda.

"We've been wondering when you'd return, after we saw the Prophet and all. Actually, we were rather hoping you'd return, rather than trying to apparate out of the country yourself. People who try to apparate out of America seem to always have difficulties," Linda said, and Ginny threw a glance at Harry. He rolled his eyes at her, noticing that Linda was watching them carefully.

"So, I have the paperwork from before, when you came back from Cheyenne, Wyoming sure is beautiful, wouldn't you say? And all I need are a couple signatures, and you'll have to claim any possessions you have, now that you're travelling out of the country."

Harry moved with Ginny as she walked down the counter a bit to fill out the papers, keeping his eyes low and away from any workers.

"They remember you?"

"I was in the papers."

Harry pursed his lips, pulling his hat lower on his head.

"Besides," Ginny paused her writing, "How many people with hair the color of mine have we seen here? I kind of stand out, wouldn't you say?"

Harry shrugged at that, deciding she was probably right. As she finished filling out the necessary boxes, she slid the paper over to him and handed him the pen.

"Sign," she said, and Harry quickly scribbled his name at the bottom.

"Alright, all set there?" Linda asked as they walked back to her window, and Ginny nodded eagerly. Linda looked over the paperwork, her eyes again moving to Harry, before she stamped it and placed it in a basket, where it disappeared again.

"You guys should be all set, and I'd assume they're waiting for you in London," Linda said, and Ginny smiled at her.

"Thank you, very much!" she said, touching Harry's back as he moved over towards the apparition circle.

"No," Linda's voice became low, "Thank you both."

Ginny walked into the circle quickly and took her wand, grasping it tightly. She looked at Harry and smiled.

"See you there," she said, and he smiled back at her. She disappeared with a soft _pop_ before his eyes, and he let out a deep breath as Linda gestured for him to follow.

_Pop!_

Harry felt his stomach churn as he landed in a much darker room than he'd originally been in, and he obeyed the small hand on his back without question. As he opened his eyes, he saw there was a bin in front of him and he waited, hoping that his insides would cooperate.

"Are you okay?" Ginny's voice was quiet, but as soon as she spoke, Harry could suddenly hear the entire room, from the scribbling of pens, chattering in many languages, and the telltale cracks and pops of people coming and going.

"I think so," he replied, and she rubbed his back gently.

"Kingsley is here, and he's ready to escort us so we can Floo home," she whispered, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Do we have to use Floo?" he asked, his voice taking on a tired tone. Ginny laughed as she continued to rub his back.

"It's the easiest way now, really. There's bound to be reporters and people waiting for us to appear outside the Burrow, and apparently they had to redo the wards, so we can't directly apparate in," Ginny explained softly as Harry finally stood up, straightening out his back. He opened his eyes to see Kingsley standing off to his right, a tired smile on his face. He walked up to Harry and Ginny, holding out his hand for Harry to shake.

"It's good to see you, Harry," his deep voice was quiet, and Harry suspected not everyone in the room knew he was there.

"Likewise," Harry replied, reaching over to find Ginny's hand. She entwined their fingers together and squeezed.

"Are you ready to travel to the Burrow?" Kingsley asked, and Ginny stifled a small laugh. Harry shot a glare at her.

"About as much as I'll ever be," he said, following the Minister as he led them from the room.

"I do not think I can express how happy we are to see you here, Harry, alive and well," Kingsley started as they walked along. "It's been… something else, trying to deal with the press, but I want to assure you that you'll be afforded rest and as much space as you need, after we talk about a few pressing matters."

Harry nodded as the Minister looked over his shoulder at the couple behind him. Kingsley led them down another hall and Harry realized he was taking them to his office.

"The only fireplace here connected to the Burrow is in my office, so I'll warn you; it's a mess," he laughed as he held his wand up to the door, which glowed slightly before opening. Kingsley had Harry and Ginny enter before him, and Harry looked around the cluttered office.

"It's not too bad," Ginny said, making the Minister laugh.

"If you say so," he said, leading them to the fireplace.

Harry looked at Ginny as Kingsley grabbed the Floo powder, his eyes searching her face. She smiled at him, walking over and wrapping her arms around his middle.

"You're going to be okay," she said, seeming to sense his inner monologue. He sighed as he hugged her back, hoping that the weight on his shoulders would leave soon.

"Whenever you're ready," Kingsley said from behind them, and they turned to look at him.

(…)

Hermione was sitting across from the fireplace in the Burrow, her hands clasped together tight. Ron was sitting in a chair nearby, a book in his lap as they waited. Molly was flitting around the kitchen, making what she assured everyone was a huge dinner. The rest of the Weasley men were outside, talking amongst themselves as they waited.

Hermione jumped as the fireplace lit up, and she quickly moved back as Ginny came tumbling from the fireplace, struggling to stay on her feet.

"Ginny!" Ron hollered, jumping from the chair and grabbing his sister in a tight hug. Hermione could barely react before Molly was there, running at her youngest children, tears already on her face.

"Ginny, dear!"

Ginny didn't make a sound as Ron and Molly hugged her close, and Hermione let them cling to each other, her eyes on the fireplace. She saw Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, and George walk into the room as well, all moving over to where Ginny was being fussed over by Molly.

"Mum, please," Ginny said, shaking herself off as Ron moved over to where Hermione stood.

The fire lit up again, and this time Harry came shooting out of it, a jumble of arms and legs, right into Ron's legs. He knocked Ron over, and Hermione shrieked as they rolled over onto the floor.

"Harry!" Ron exclaimed, scrambling to his hands and knees to move over to his best friend. He nearly picked Harry up off the floor as he rushed to hug him, and Hermione collapsed onto the ground next to them, wrapping Harry into a hug as well.

"Hi guys," he said softly, his eyes shutting as he gave into their deathlike grip. Ron let go first, dusting off Harry's shoulders and head gently.

"It's so good to see you, mate," Ron said quietly, and Harry grinned at his best friend. He looked down at Hermione, who was clinging to him tightly, tears spilling out her closed eyes.

"Hermione, I want to get up," Harry said quietly, and she let out a soft cry.

"I know that," she said, letting go of him long enough for him to stand before wrapping her arms around him again. Ron did the same, and Harry stood there in the living room of the Burrow, his arms around his best friends. Ginny held her mother back as the trio held each other tightly.

"I've missed you guys," Harry's voice was barely audible to the rest of the room, and Ginny saw Ron hug his best friend even tighter.

"We've missed you too."

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you to all of those who viewed and reviewed the last chapter! I know I'm being really... terrible at updating, but I'm generally... struggling. This chapter suddenly came to me today and I could finally finish it, so I'm just slapping it up onto the internet for you all.

It might feel like there isn't much story left, but there's about... four or five more chapters left, as I pretty much have the last chapter written in weird notes in a notebook of mine.

Reviews are, as always, appreciated!

-Izzy


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